Stumble
by Pepprika-Chica
Summary: Draco!" She screamed, struggling against their grip. "Draco! You promised they wouldn't take me away! Draco!"
1. Hogwarts

Chapter 1 –

Hogwarts

It was the day that every Hogwarts student looked forward to since his or her first night seated under the sorting hat. Because the weather had decided to be rainy and foggy, the Great Hall had been rearranged; the four long house tables had vanished, to be replaced with hundreds of small wooden chairs to accommodate for all the 7th years and their families. It was Graduation, and it didn't come a day too soon.

The students were seated by their houses; each of them sporting black robes with their respective house colors in various patterns along the arms. Everyone could barely keep still in their seats, the excitement of finally being able to be on their own was more than they could handle. Even the Slytherins had smiles on their faces.

Well, not every one. There was one who didn't look too excited to be here. His fingers were laced in his lap and his head was hung, as if he dreaded something to come. Something in the near future. But did he really have a choice? After all, it was his father's idea. And if he ever wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as a Death Eater, Draco was going to have to impress the Dark Lord somehow. As hard and cold as his exterior shell was, he wasn't sure he had the balls to do it. Not that he really is a pansy on the inside, but more in the way that maybe his heart isn't as cold as he portrays.

Draco was good at that: getting people to believe anything he wanted them to believe. He inherited it from his father, he supposed. It wasn't a talent he was necessarily proud of, but he figured he might as well use it towards his advantage.

Dumbledore stood atop the stage, calling each student up to collect his or her witchery or wizardry certificate. After the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had received their certificates, the seventh year Gryffindors sat up straight in their seats, eagerly waiting their turn to cross the stage and shake the hand of the elegantly dressed Headmaster.

After several of the Gryffindors had been called to the stage, Hermione Granger leaned across Ron to whisper to him and Harry both. "Can you believe that we're graduating already? I mean, doesn't it just seem like we were helping Neville search for his silly toad on the train in first year?"

"Not really," Ron said flatly, smiling widely as Lavender Brown got her diploma.

"Oh Ron, honestly!" Hermione laughed and elbowed her friend. "You can do much better than her."

"Nah not really," Ron winked at Harry. "Besides, with a rack like that, who would want better?" He and Harry stifled their laughter into their arms while Hermione shot them a disgusted look. "Hermione Granger!" Hermione whipped her head around to realize she had almost missed Professor McGonagall's voice calling out her name. Nearly bounding to the stage, Hermione shook the Headmaster's hand as vigorously as an over-sugared A.D.D. child. Any bystander would have clearly seen the special smile she set aside for another member of the graduating class, sitting only a few rows from the front. Seamus Finnegan gave his girlfriend of nearly a year a sly wink and a smirk. Hermione had seen that look before, only too often, and couldn't help but blush. Hopefully no one else caught that, she thought to herself.

How embarrassing that would be. _Yeah, Mom, that time I blushed on stage? My boyfriend was hinting he wanted sex. Sorry if it ruined your Kodak moment._

Harry and Ron waited anxiously for their turns to grace the stage with their presence, all the while Hermione and Seamus exchanging sly looks across the students between them. When Ron's name was finally called, a strange, rather high-pitched squeak came from the row behind where the trio was sitting. Harry and Hermione turned to see Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil giggling and waving as the dashing red head crossed the staged.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She was genuinely confused as to why Ron would even consider being with someone so shallow and just . . . plain stupid. And to have to hang around her giggly little friends twenty-four seven? Wouldn't that just annoy the hell out of you? _Whatever,_ she thought. _It won't last. _

Hermione rested her head in her hand, wondering when the ridiculously long ceremony would end. Not that she didn't love that she was officially a legal, graduated member of society, but there were so many better things she could be doing with her time. She turned her head to look out the window, only to be reminded of the weather. Her hopes of running out the doors into the lawn with her two best friends to celebrate their freedom were quickly destroyed as a streak of lightning crossed the sky.

As usual, the ceiling of the Great Hall mirrored the out doors, and the sudden flash of light within the room made her snap back to reality. She realized she had missed nearly half of Dumbledore's farewell speech. It really was unlike her to not pay attention, and it gave her a chill. _So this is how all the other students feel in class. Weird . . . _

No sooner had she snapped back to attention, was everyone around her standing up and tossing their hats into the air.

"Come on, 'Mione!" Harry tugged on his friends arm. "Aren't you going to celebrate?!" Hermione smiled and stood, throwing her hat into the cloud of black, pointed caps. Harry and Ron exchanged a hug, an extremely manly hug mind you. None of that waist-touching, more than two seconds long type of a hug. Harry and Ron took turns picking up Hermione and spinning her around. Hermione quickly grabbed both boys' hands and dragged them away to a crowd of red heads waiting in the hallway. The entire Weasley family was there to celebrate Graduation Day.

"Oh congratulations, my little Ronnykins!" Molly Weasley squealed as she pinched her youngest son's cheek, followed by a suffocating embrace.

"Ma! I can't—can't breath! Need—oxy—need oxygen!" Ron finally got his mother off of him, only to realize she had tears in her eyes. "Oh, mum, don't cry! This is so embarrassing" he muttered to himself.

Hugs went all around to the three graduates, from every member of the family; the hug between Charlie and Hermione being the most awkward. Hermione had always thought Charlie Weasley was the most incredibly gorgeous man she had ever seen, despite having a boyfriend. She loved Seamus to death, but physical contact with Charlie was still a thrill. Not that she would ever, in a million years, even consider acting on those feelings. But hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Long after the graduation ceremony had ended and all family members had left, the graduates headed back to their dorms for their last night in the castle. Yes, it was going to be their last night, but were they going to sleep? Absolutely not! They just graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There is no time for sleep! And since the younger students still had finals the next few days, the 7th years planned a secret party that would keep their snooping-selves away.

The Room of Requirement had called upon for it's final use of the year. The students from all four houses had planned to meet up around ten thirty, hopefully long after the professors had gone to bed. They may be certified witches and wizards, but Professor McGonagall's finger shaking and stern voice can still bring a chill to anyone's spine.

Hermione took a few minutes longer than usual to get ready. Okay, so it was more like a half hour longer than normal, but she wanted to look extra pretty tonight. Sure she already had a boyfriend, but who doesn't want to look pretty anyways?

After several rounds of yelling up the girls' dormitory stairs by Ron and Harry, Hermione finally came down the stairs. "I swear you two. It's surprising you even have a girlfriend Ron, after you yell at me like that. Girls are not to be yelled at. I don't just come on command!" She playfully punched his shoulder during that last sentence, and seeing that as she entered the room, Lavender rushed immediately to Ron's side.

"Yeah, well at least I have someone who cares about my feelings," Ron threw back at her, as Lavender began to nuzzle his neck. Ron smiled and winked at Hermione, and all she could do was laugh. Harry joined her in laughing, until Seamus wrapped his arms around Hermione from behind.

"Hey there, pretty lady," he said, kissing her on the temple.

"Well that's great. Now I'm all alone. Fantastic." Harry crossed his arms and pretended to pout. Hermione immediately embraced him in a hug.

"Awe, poor Harry Potter. Not getting any attention." She giggled at his childish behavior. Harry smiled.

"Watch it, Seamus. I'm going to steal your girlfriend. Although . . . it would be a lot like dating my sister. If I had a sister that is." Seamus eyed Harry suspiciously as the four of them headed out the portrait hole to the Room of Requirement.

A few of the Ravenclaws had arrived first, and they found the room to be gloriously decorated with all of the house colors. Food covered the long tables circling the room, and a dance floor gleamed in the middle. "This is going to be wicked exciting!" squealed Lavender as they entered the room. "Oh look! There's Parvati!" She skipped across the room to meet her equally as annoying friend.

"Oh come ON, mate! You have to admit that giddy school girl personality gets rather annoying." Harry exclaimed. Ron rolled his eyes in Harry's direction and nodded slowly. "I figured. Why don't you just lose the chick, Weasley, and enjoy the single life with me?"

"Because being single is no fun, Potter!" Hermione shouted as she pulled Seamus onto the dance floor. A loop of popular songs from The Wicked Sisters was playing loudly, and everyone was getting up to dance.

The door to the room opened, and in walked the last bunch of 7th years. It wasn't necessarily a pleasant sight, since Draco Malfoy was the leader of that bunch, but they were still part of the class and therefore welcomed into the room. Draco looked unusually grim, even for himself, and his Slytherin groupies only added to that. They stood with their arms cross, sneering at everyone around them.

Pansy Parkinson looked around, clearly disgusted with the crowd. "Ugh, this place is lame, Draco. Let's go have a party in the common room. At least we know there won't be any mudbloods around." She spat the word out so harshly, it caused Hermione to stop in the middle of the dance floor and glare towards the door. She knew where it had come from, yet it still caused her to fume. Even after years of hearing that foul, degrading word towards people of her bloodline, she still despised hearing it. Hermione could feel her face get red hot. She clenched her fists.

"Just count to ten, Hermione. Just to ten." She told herself, breathing in and out slowly while she counted.

"Mione? Are you okay?" Seamus put his hands on her shoulders and bent to look in her eyes. "Counting, huh." He glanced towards the door. "Oh come on, Hermione. You know she's just an immature wench who has nothing better to do than to hate on others."

"I know, I just…" She suddenly got that creepy-crawly feeling where you feel like someone is staring at you. She whipped her head around to catch Malfoy's eyes from across the room. He held her gaze for a second, and then looked towards the ground. Something about it made Hermione incredibly curious, but she brushed the feeling off. Curious? About Malfoy? Psh. Not possible.

Harry and Ron, who still had no interest in dancing, stood against the wall, arms crossed, frowns on their faces. "Well cheer up, Harry. At least be happy that we've graduated, and can move on with our lives now."

"But not really. I mean, Voldemort is still out there, Ron, and now we'll be more vulnerable than ever." Harry looked down, kicking the ground with his shoe.

"And how's that? We're certified now! We're just as powerful as any. Plus, we're official members of the Order now, so what's to worry?" Ron asked.

"We're leaving Hogwarts."

"And that's . . . bad?"

"Yes! This is the one place where we are practically untouchable, Ron. Hogwarts is the safest place for us to be, for me to be. And now that we don't have the security of these walls, Voldemort and his Death Eaters will find us in a heartbeat. No one has ever hurt someone inside these walls, not so long as Dumbledore is around." Harry had a very good point. He never did feel as safe anywhere as he did here. Not the Burrow, not 12 Grimmuald Place, not even the Ministry of Magic had the comforts that his Gryffindor dormitory bed offered.

Ron's smile faded as he realized the reality behind his friend's words. "Well, way to be a stinker, Potter. Now I'm all depressed about my future, and we're at a bloody party! Just forget about You-Know-Who and the future and all that 'doomed to failure' stuff, and just enjoy the party. We're still here, so we're still safe. Nothing will happen to us as long as we're here, so just enjoy it while it lasts."

**A/N: Okay, so I started this story about 5 years ago. So it doesn't follow all seven J.K. books, but it has bits and pieces of the stuff I liked. I found this file in my desktop and decided to pick it back up. I changed a lot, if some of you read this story before. I had posted it under a different author name and title, but I figure it will be better this way. **

**Let me know what you think! Thanks guys )**


	2. The First Struggle

Chapter 2-

The First Struggle

Draco stirred the lumpy, green sludge in the cauldron with a disgusted look on his face. The horrible stench, in his opinion, of essence of Seamus Finnigan filled his nostrils; there was no escaping it even in his large, empty dormitory room. Malfoy already knew that the smell of Polyjuice potion was rather repulsive, but the knowledge alone still didn't prepare him for it.

But what was bothering him more was that he actually had to make physical contact with Finnigan in order to obtain a hair for the potion. All he did was "accidentally" bump into him at the party last night, of course blaming Finnigan for being a clumsy ass that was always in peoples' way. Draco shuddered again. That mudblood Granger had her hands all over him while they were dancing. She probably rubbed off onto Draco through Finnigan. He decided to wash his hands thoroughly after he was done with his mission.

The Dark Lord had given Malfoy his first assignment as a Death Eater in training. It was a huge honor in the opinion of Lucius Malfoy, Draco's deranged father who only recently was back on Voldemort's good side. The task was something simple that, as the Dark Lord himself had stated, "even a boy with an idiot for a brain like you could accomplish." Draco was offended at the degraded comment, but said nothing in return.

The task? Getting Potter's little friend Hermione Granger into a trap, and then holding her captive until the Boy Who Lived showed up to save the day, as usual.

Voldemort was sure his plan would not fail, as Harry Potter had always been known as one to put his love for his friends above all else. But Draco had a strange feeling in his gut that Lord Voldemort was wrong about this. Something was telling him that the plan would backfire, and someone may not make it out alive.

Draco gave the bubbly goop in the cauldron another stir as he contemplated the task at hand. It seemed simple enough. All he had to do was get Granger outside the safe grounds of Hogwarts so that he could apperate with her back to the Death Eaters' hideout. Somewhere hopefully in Hogsmeade, so that their disappearance didn't look too suspicious. After all, Hermione would follow her beloved boy toy anywhere, right? Or so Draco hoped.

Filling a small vile with a portion of the Polyjuice potion, Malfoy slipped it into his robes and headed out into the castle to find the mudblood.

--

Hermione was the first one up, as usual. She had decided to finish packing her things and drag her trunk downstairs to the entrance of the castle, where the house elves would take it from there to the Hogwarts Express. Hermione wasn't too please with house elves doing such a task, but she decided to let it slide this once.

Looking around, Hermione sat on her trunk and sighed. _Boy, I'm really going to miss this place. _She started to think about everything in her life that as going well. Her friendships with Harry and Ron could never be stronger; the three have been inseparable since the beginning and that bond only got stronger with time.

Time, and the number of life and death situations they face together. Those never seem to end, do they?

Hermione wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Yes, of course she wanted to be a professor back here in her beloved castle, but she didn't want to start so soon. Maybe she should just enjoy her summer at the Burrow. With He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named still at large, she was afraid to leave the magical world and return to her parents' home. She couldn't bear to have something happen to one of her family members in this world and not know about it.

One thing that didn't pop into her mind as being "good" was her relationship with Seamus. Sure, she enjoyed spending time with him, but he was just so . . . immature. She really couldn't see herself being with him forever, and that thought really bothered her.

She decided that she needed to have a talk with him, before they left Hogwarts after breakfast.

--

Pulling the small vile out of his robes, Draco took a generous swig and jumped behind a suit of armor to let the transformation begin. Once he was sure he had completely changed into Seamus Finnigan, he emerged from his hiding space and strolled towards the Great Hall. He had been sure to dress casually, since acquiring a set of Gryffindor robes was not necessarily an easy task.

Draco spotted Hermione sitting quietly on her trunk near the front entryway. Taking a deep breath, and reassuring himself that he could actually pull this off, he picked up his pace a little.

"Hey 'Mione," Draco called, pulling a hand out of his pocket and waving. The bushy-haired girl whipped around clearly startled. _I should be getting paid for this, _Draco thought. _Calling her by a nickname? _He'd rather vomit.

"Oh, hey Seamus," She smiled, patting the empty space on the trunk next to her. Malfoy hesitated. All he wanted to do was get this over with. He couldn't have small talk with a mudblood! But then again, he needed her to trust that he was the real deal so that she would follow him to Hogsmeade. After another brief second of hesitation, Malfoy stepped forward and took a seat next to Hermione.

"Why are you up so early, love? You usually sleep until noon when there are no classes,"

Draco started, "Uh . . . well, I just wanted to enjoy the castle. Ya know, for the last time." Not knowing if his answer sounded like something Finnigan would say, he looked away to avoid her eyes just to be safe.

"Oh, well that's nice." She smiled, not sure if she actually believed his story. She reached over and took his hand in hers. "Seamus?"

Draco turned his head and locked eyes with her. "Uh, yea?" He wasn't sure why her eyes were suddenly so soft and warm, but he had an idea. Hermione placed her hand on his cheek, and then she was kissing him. Draco's eyes flew open in utter surprise.

_What the hell?!_ Draco's mind was racing a mile a minute. This was not what he signed up for. Ugh he'd certainly have to bleach his lips after this episode.

Realizing that Seamus probably did not stiffen up like stone while they were kissing, he decided to hell with it. If he had to play Voldemort's game, he was going to go all out. By the time he had come to this conclusion, almost 3 seconds had passed.

Draco kissed her back, but not daring to open his mouth. He tried to keep it short and sweet, but Hermione was practically begging him to kiss her harder. Being the teenage boy that he was, with the uncontrollable hormones, Draco began thinking with his pants and deepened the kiss. He didn't care. This was action and he was getting some. He slipped his tongue along her lips, and Hermione opened them without hesitation.

After a few more seconds, Hermione became so confused with Seamus' excitement in the kiss that she had to pull back.

"Wow, Seamus. Have you been holding out on me all this time?" In the year they had been together, Seamus never once kissed her like that. It was so . . . masculine. Like he was finally in charge of the kiss. It made her feel incredibly girly, and she loved it.

"I, uh, don't know what came over me," Draco hesitated. "I'm sorry."

"No, no! Don't be. I'm just . . . wow."

They sat in silence for a few minutes after that, each consumed by their thoughts. Who would've thought that a simple good-morning kiss would drive someone so crazy?

_Well shit, I blew it._ Draco thought. _I didn't even consider physical contact with the mudblood. What the hell is wrong with me!? Have I gone completely mad? Ugh, just get it together, Draco, and take her already. _

Although slightly less angry, Hermione's thoughts centered around that last kiss as well. _That was not the Seamus I have been kissing for the past year. I wonder what changed? And why? And why now? _

"Hey listen, do you want to go for a walk before everyone else is up?" Draco looked at Hermione hopefully. This was the next step in the plan, and he hoped to God it worked.

Hermione beamed. Seamus never liked going on walks; this was new. Maybe he was trying to change so she would stay with him over the summer? Who knew? She shrugged it off and took Seamus' outstretched hand, following him down the grand staircase to the castle grounds.

Draco tensed as he laced Seamus' fingers with Granger's. He did not want to be in this situation, let alone holding hands with her. Doing the Dark Lord's bidding was not all it was cracked up to be, in Draco's opinion.

"Seamus I've been thinking," Hermione began, slowing their pace. She wasn't exactly sure how to say what she needed to say, but the timing seemed right. "Seamus I - - what's wrong with your eyes?"

They had stopped walking and Hermione was staring deep into Draco's eyes. Draco froze.

"Uh, what do you mean?" He tried to play dumb. What was wrong? Had the potion begun to wear off?

Hermione stared deeper into his eyes. "They're all gray and, well, dark looking. Are you okay?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night." He lied, quickly turning his head and pulling Hermione along the path. A strange tingly feeling that began in his stomach quickly spread to his limbs and his head. _Shit! I must have made the potion wrong. It's starting to wear off._ Draco's paced quickened, as he frantically wanted his part in the abduction of Granger to be over with.

"Hey, Hermione!" The two whipped around to see Harry, Ron, and another Seamus dropping off their trunks near the door. Draco panicked, this couldn't be happening! He plan was sinking. He tightened his grip on Hermione's hand and started running towards the gates. Hermione was in such a state of confusion; all she could do was run with him.

"Seamus, what is going on?!" She shrieked, "Seamus! Seamus stop, you're hurting me! Ow! Stop pulling me!" Hermione struggled, trying to pry her hand free.

Harry, Ron, and the real Seamus realized what was happening and began sprinting after her, pulling their wands out as they went. Everything was so frantic all at once; nobody knew exactly what was happening, not even Draco. His plan was meant to be graceful, smooth, and definitely not involving witnesses.

The 3 boys running behind Draco and Hermione began shouting her name, causing other students to run out of the entrance doors to see what the commotion was.

Hermione turned back to look at Harry, desperation filling her eyes. She didn't understand why Seamus was kidnapping her, and running behind her. Which one was the real Seamus? As she turned back around to look at her abductor, she got her answer.

The Polyjuice potion had worn off almost completely, and Draco's silvery blond hair gave away his identity in an instant.

"Malfoy! NO!" Harry screamed, but it was too late.

Looking around frantically, Draco pulled Hermione the last few feet out of the gate. Hermione screamed for her friends, still confused beyond belief. She couldn't even yell at Malfoy for being a prick as she usually would.

Draco's mind was not functioning. All he could tell himself was to get outside the gate and apperate. His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. He had been holding his breath ever since the Potter and Weasel appeared. Draco was frantic.

Just a few . . . more . . . steps.

With one last look back, Draco tightened his grip on Hermione and vanished on the spot.

**and? Reviews!**


	3. Backfired

Chapter 3 –

Backfired

--

Hermione felt the world close in around her as she and Malfoy apperated away from Hogwarts. Not only from Hogwarts, but also from her friends, her boyfriend, where she felt safe. Now, she could only guess what would happen to her. Malfoy had captured her and her only guess was that it was related to Lord Voldemort somehow, in some weird twisted way to initiate Draco Malfoy into the realm of Death Eaters.

Due to a deranged fear of losing a limb during apparition, Hermione closed her eyes and clung tightly to Malfoy's arm. Gradually, the space surrounding them became less suffocating and she felt her feet hit solid ground once more.

"DRACO!" An outraged voice called out. Hermione opened her eyes and realized she was still holding hands with Malfoy. She tried to wriggle away, but he only gripped her harder and dragged her down the dark corridor they had appeared in.

"Shit," Malfoy uttered under his breath as he heard his father yelling his name. He had them practically sprinting down the corridor towards the repeated yelling of his father. They turned the corner, however, and came face to face with Malfoy Sr. and several masked Death Eaters in the shadows. Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

They skidded to a halt. Lucius Malfoy's face was calm with no smile apparent. The low flicker of the torches on the wall let his long silvery blond hair glimmer, but it did nothing to remove the rage that filled his eyes. Even in the dark, Hermione and Draco could see the fury. They both took a step backward, as if a little extra space would save them from what was about to come.

"You're late," was all Lucius said.

Draco knew that it only meant some form of punishment from either his father, or Lord Voldemort. Or both.

"I'm sorry, father. There was –"

"Tisk tisk. Making excuses already, are we Draco?" Lucius' voice was like venom. "It's a shame to think that you cannot handle a task so simple. We may as well have sent a house elf."

Draco hung his head, but quickly decided that showing defeat was no way to stand up to his father. "I'm sorry, again, father. It won't happen the next time. I swear it." He glared into his father's eyes, pleading for him to let it go. After all, it was only his first task. Surely not everyone did everything right the first time.

"Perhaps there will not be a next time. The Dark Lord would like a word with you. Give me the girl, Draco." Lucius held out his hand towards Hermione, as if she were a piece of property. For some reason, Hermione took a step behind Draco. He may have abducted her, but she concluded that Lucius and his evil cohorts would do much worse.

"No. The task was mine, and I will finish it. Lord Voldemort can speak to me when I am finished," Draco challenged, gripping Hermione's wrist this time.

Without a second's hesitation, Lucius raised his right hand and backhanded Draco across the face. He fell into the wall, and collapsed on the floor. Lucius grabbed Hermione's upper arm and violently dragged her down the damp corridor, leaving his son on the floor.

Hermione struggled to loosen Lucius' grip, but he only squeezed tighter causing her fingers to tingle. After several turns and doors and a few long corridors, Lucius stopped at one particular door. It was definitely metal, as the shimmer from the fiery torches gave that away. Muttering a few spells under his breath, Lucius stood back and waited for the doorway to open.

"Get in there, you mudblood filth. Your time in the spotlight will come." He threw Hermione onto the ground, quickly muttering the counter curse to close the door behind him as he stormed out. Hermione pushed herself to her feet and immediately ran to the door, pounding on it with her tiny fists. She screamed and screamed for help, but outside, they heard nothing.

After several minutes of the attempt at freedom, Hermione gave up and decided to take in her surroundings. There was only a small window up in the corner, barred of course, and no other doors. The walls were slightly damp, and despite it being rather early on a summer morning, Hermione felt herself chilled to the bones. She managed to get a look out the window before sitting down. The window was at ground level, so she figured the chill came from the fact that they were underground.

_Great, just great. Now I'm stuck underground with Lucius Malfoy and his cronies who want me dead. Well, at least Harry and Ron had seen who it was that kidnapped me before we disapperated. Oh God . . . Seamus! He must be worried sick. _

--

Draco sat hunched by the wall, nursing his now swollen cheek. He was furious. And completely terrified. He didn't want to be here; he didn't want to become a Death Eater anymore. He had completely screwed up his first task - - wait! No he didn't. The mudblood was here, wasn't she? And only stupid Potter and Weasel witnessed it. That wasn't necessarily the greatest thing, but it could have been a lot worse. It's not like anyone would believe Potter when he told them what had happened. Look how long it took people to believe his story about Lord Voldemort returning.

Nonetheless, Draco was terrified of what the Dark Lord was going to do with him. He had heard stories about Death Eaters who had displeased the master, but they were merely stories to him. Nothing but scary bedtime stories that followers of Lord Voldemort told their children, reiterating the fact that they should be afraid of him; but also to help the children earn respect for their leader. Draco believed the stories as a young boy, but when it was a real life situation, and it involved you, that level of fear nearly tripled.

The sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor made Draco shudder into himself. He coward against the wall, catching his breath in his throat. A Malfoy was never afraid, but whenever he was, it was only for the worst circumstances imaginable. Facing Lord Voldemort after making a mistake on a task specifically assigned to you just happened to be one of those circumstances.

"You disappoint me, Draco." Lucius appeared from around the corner. Although he was alone, it did nothing to ease Draco's nerves. "Do you honestly think that The Dark Lord will let you get away with this?"

Draco did his best to stand up, using the wall as support. "Father, it was one minor slip—"

"Minor?! You think that having people witness your secret kidnapping is a _minor_ thing, Draco?" Lucius was fuming. Even in the darkness of the corridor, Draco could tell his face had turned an intense color of red.

"I just don't think it's something to overreact—"

Lucius lunged forward and grabbed Draco by the front of his shirt. "YOU DARE QUESTION ME, BOY?" He pulled Draco forward a good foot and a half, and then slammed him back into the wall. "ANSWER ME!"

Draco would've collapsed to the floor if his father had not still been holding onto him. He had cracked his head so hard he was seeing stars, unable to focus on what Lucius was continuing to scream at him . . . something about how his life should revolve around pleasing Voldemort. Draco didn't care anymore. He just wanted to get out of there, to go home and lay in bed.

Suddenly he was being dragged away by his left arm. The pain in his head was unbearable, not to mention the bruising he felt on his shoulder blades, his spine, and . . . hell, his entire backside was aching. He couldn't focus on anything, but he somehow managed to put one foot in front of the other.

They stopped at a huge oak door at the end of a particularly dark corridor. The door had two serpents crawling up each side of it, both carved into the wood with a generous amount of detail. Lucius muttered a few words under his breath, and the door swung open with a creak. He continued to drag his son down another short hallway, only to come upon another door where he muttered a few more words.

"Ah, Lucius." A snake-like voice filled their ears as they entered the surprisingly warm room. Voldemort sat in a high-backed leather chair on the far side of the room, stroking the large serpent draped across his shoulders. "We've been eagerly awaiting the return of your son. Ah, I see that he is with you. Wonderful."

"Yes, m'Lord, but I must ask permission to speak." Lucius said, bowing slightly. Draco took the opportunity to glance around the room. He noted that several Death Eaters stood around the perimeter, like bodyguards. He felt the need to be sick to his stomach.

"Of course, Lucius, carry on."

"In his attempt to capture the mudblood, Hermione Granger, my sorry excuse for a son has failed you, sir."

"Do explain, Lucius." Voldemort shifted his weight to the edge of his chair, as if he was excited to hear about the failure of the Death Eater in training.

"Well, for starters, Draco appears to have let his mind wander while making the Polyjuice potion. The potion failed, sir, just as he was about to apperate. There were witnesses to the kidnapping, including Him, sir."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "Potter?"

Lucius nodded silently.

Voldemort laced his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. "Is this true, young Malfoy?"

Draco used all his strength to stand up on his own, shrugging his father's grip away. "Yes, sir. It is. But let me explain!" A clammy, white hand was help up to silence Draco.

"You shame your father, young Draco, as you shame me. The task of the Death Eater is not one to be taken lightly."

"But she's here—" Draco froze. He was suddenly on his knees without his permission. Looking Lord Voldemort in the eyes, Draco knew he had been placed under the Imperius curse.

"Do you really wish to argue with me, you inferior waste?" Voldemort spat. He stood and slowly walked towards Draco. He was struggling against the curse, but it proved useless. "I did not get to where I am today, young Malfoy, by failing. This was your first task. And you couldn't even accomplish that. What am I to think? Why should I waste my valuable time training you, if you fail with the simplest tasks."

Voldemort turned to face Draco's father. "Lucius. Your boy is a disgrace. I hope you agree?" It wasn't so much a question as a demand. Lucius nodded his head vigorously.

"Of course, master. You have my full agreement in doing with him whatever you desire." Lucius bowed slightly again, backing away into the shadows with the rest of the Death Eaters to watch Voldemort torture his only child.

"Punishment!" Voldemort shouted.

No one moved a muscle.

Draco felt his chest swelling with fear, but he dared not let it show in his eyes. He only pictured the worst. He was already frozen in place, moving exactly as the Dark Lord commanded him to. He didn't want this. He didn't want to be here, to be a part of this ring of evil. Draco didn't want to live his life in fear. He wasn't like his father, and he'd be damned if he went down because of Lucius.

Using only a flicker of his fingers, Voldemort summoned Draco to his side. Involuntarily, Draco's body floated through the air to his side, kneeling once again. Voldemort placed his clammy hand on Draco's head, petting it like a dog.

"Draco, Draco, Draco. What am I to do with you? Such a burden you have come to be." Rubbing his temples, Voldemort began pacing the empty space between Draco and the nearest Death Eater. "So, we know that Harry Potter," he spat the name as if it were poison, "has seen young Malfoy here with Granger. He may know that we have her, but he doesn't know where we are. And that means, Crabbe?"

The heavyset man clad in shabby old robes shifted his weight nervously. "Uh . . . that, uh, he needs a map?"

"No, you idiot! It means we have time. Time to plan." Voldemort's eyes pierced through Draco's as a menacing smile spread across his lips. "Lucius?"

Malfoy Sr. sprang from the shadows. "Yes, master?"

"Would you please escort your son to the cell the mudblood currently calls home? He can spend the time until Potter arrives in there."

Draco's eyes widened in horror.

**Oh I liked that one! Reviews ) **


	4. Purgatory

Chapter 4 –

Purgatory

--

Hermione sighed. She could not believe she had gotten herself into something like this. Again. It's always the girl, why is it always the girl! She hit her head against the wall.

_I should've noticed it wasn't really Seamus. You'd think I would know the boy I've been dating for almost a year. And especially after… _

Hermione froze. Oh, God. She kissed Malfoy. Draco Malfoy, the scum of the earth. No, the dirt below the scum. His _tongue_ was in her _mouth_. Ugh, she was completely and utterly disgusted. Well, it wasn't completely her fault. She thought it was Seamus. So actually, it was Seamus' tongue and lips that touched her so passionately, so greedily.

It was an incredible kiss.

But it was Malfoy's mind and that's what bothered her the most. He got to see that side of her. The side that no one saw but Seamus. She had let herself become completely vulnerable, falling into his lips like she had done a thousand times. It was supposed to be a special moment with the man she loved, and with one fell swoop it had become a public affair. No doubt Malfoy would rub that in her face for days to come.

That is, if she ever saw him again.

Hermione could only begin to imagine where she was, but it wasn't hard to figure out why she was there. She figured that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named kidnapped her and planned on holding her here as bait for Harry. Being one of the most powerful wizards in the magical world, one would think he'd be able to come up with something better than kidnapping Harry's best friend. Surely he could find Harry with some unknown evil location spell.

She sighed again. She suddenly didn't feel as scared as she had been. Hermione knew that no matter what, Harry and Ron would come and save her, no matter what it took. Harry wasn't afraid of anything. At least, he wouldn't admit to it if he were.

Harry had faced Lord Voldemort countless times, and he escaped every time. Now, Hermione didn't necessarily want Harry facing the Dark Lord this time, but she had faith in him. She just didn't know how long she had to wait for that moment of bravery to come.

The sound of footsteps down the hall brought Hermione out of her thoughts. They sounded quick, as the person was in a hurry. She only hoped that they passed her door and kept going. She wasn't ready to give up hope on Harry coming yet. It had only been, what, maybe an hour?

The footsteps stopped just outside her door.

_He didn't come. _It was the only thing Hermione could think. They were coming to take her away, and do who knows what to her first.

She heard a rather agitated voice muttering the same curses to get in the door that Lucius had said earlier. The door opened slowly and loudly, and Hermione caught the end of Lucius Malfoy's sentence.

". . . and you have dishonored me! You will rue the day you shamed the Dark Lord, Draco." He shoved his son through the door.

Draco crashed into the wall with his shoulder, sliding down to the floor in sheer pain. Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" She muttered. She was in no mood to deal with his ridiculous attitude, and she intended to shut him up before he could even start.

"Does it look like it was my choice to be here, Granger?" he snarled.

He clenched his left shoulder to his body with his right hand, and grimaced as he tried to adjust his body. Draco had never experienced so much pain in so short a time, even though he had grown up as the child of Lucius Malfoy. There was that time his father broke his arm, though, when he shoved him down the stairs. Lucius had told Draco's mother, Narcissa, that they had been practicing Quidditch in the backyard. Draco was only six.

Hermione noticed his face as he shifted his body weight. He squished his eyes together and pursued his lips, as if he was trying to hold in a scream. He was in pain, and it instantly struck her curiosity.

Why was he in here? Why is he hurt? And more importantly, why should she have to suffer even more with his presence?

As much as she despised Malfoy, she couldn't stand the look on his face. Hermione was never the one to enjoy pain on anyone's face, including her enemies. Some strange part of her wanted to help him. She screwed up her face to get the thought out of her head.

Draco did a sharp intake of air as he felt a cracked rib beneath his fingers. Probably happened when his father threw him into the wall several times once they had been out of earshot of the Dark Lord's chambers. Lucius had never been one to hide his anger, especially if it was towards Draco. A good beating usually helped Lucius to calm down. And that usually meant he was beating his son.

After nearly twenty minutes of watching Draco squirm in pain, Hermione couldn't stand it anymore. Her kind heart took over and enemy or not, she knew how to help him and it would be a crime in her mind not to help him.

"Malfoy let me help you." She stood up and crossed the small dungeon in a few steps, kneeling in front of him.

"Get away from me, Granger. I'm fine." He tried to turn away from her, but found out quickly that it was a bad idea.

"Stop being stubborn, Malfoy, and let me heal you."

"Why do you want to help me, Granger?"

"Well, clearly you are in a lot of pain. I'm not going to just sit there and watch you suffer, although I know that's what you would do if the roles were switched. Now, move your arm so I can heal your ribs." She tugged the sleeve of his shirt gingerly. "Please?"

As much as he hated accepting help from her, Draco wanted the pain to stop.

"You don't have your wand," he pointed out.

"I know enough incantations for healing bones without my wand," she soothed, sitting cross-legged in front of him. Draco gave in and moved his arm away from his rib cage. He frowned at her as she moved her hands towards his torso.

Hermione looked him dead in the eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Draco gave her a short nod and braced himself for what he was sure was going to be painful. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. He was a man and dammit he was going to take pain like one.

Hermione's fingers gracefully moved across Draco's cracked rib, barely touching him. She was muttering a few words here and there, things he couldn't even understand. Draco felt the left side of his rib cage heat up immensely, but not enough to burn him. The heat faded as quickly as it came.

"There," Hermione laid her hand flat on his rib. He didn't flinch. "All better. Now, that wasn't so bad was - - Malfoy, what happened to your eye?" She had looked up into his face and noticed that his right eye was turning a strange shade of yellowish-purple, and it looked a little swollen.

"What do you mean?" Draco had forgotten all about his first injury of the morning. He reached up and touched his face. "Oh, yeah. Well, you saw that. It's not a big deal, alright?"

Hermione remembered cowering against the wall when Lucius struck Draco in the corridor shortly after they arrived. It then dawned on her that the rest of his injuries most likely came from his father, too.

"Your rib, and your shoulder . . . did he do that too?" She asked quietly, trying to catch his eye again. Hermione had hated the Malfoy family her entire life in the magical world. With this newfound information, however, she realized that she felt somewhat sorry for Draco. She couldn't explain it. Sympathy for a Malfoy? It didn't seem like it was a possibility. But she felt it, that much she couldn't deny.

"It's none of your bloody business, Granger, so just back off." Draco did everything to avoid her eyes, finally pushing himself up with his good arm and walking away from where she sat on the cold stone floor.

Draco sat again on the opposite wall, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his head. Hermione flipped around so her back was against the wall. The two sat in silence until the morning sun, glistening brightly in a tiny patch on the floor, turned into the late afternoon sun high up on the wall.

--

"Harry, we cannot just run off into the country looking for Hermione. It doesn't work like that," Lupin stated. He had been trying to convince Harry and Ron of this for several hours.

"But Lupin, Voldemort has her! Doing only God knows what to her. Sitting here is only wasting time." Harry claimed. Ron flinched at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, as he had done his entire life.

Mrs. Weasley bustled about the group, refilling drinks and replacing the empty cookie trays continuously. She was known for busying herself when she was worried about one of her children, and this clearly meant that she considered Hermione one of her own.

"I think Harry's right, Lupin. Our dear Hermione is probably shivering in some dungeon, and we are just sitting here discussing it!" Leave it to Molly Weasley to worry about someone being too cold in the midst of a crisis.

Ron grabbed a handful of cookies and shoved them in his mouth.

"Ronald! Act your age, not your shoe size!" Mrs. Weasley scolded before taking a seat next to her husband. "Now, Lupin, please explain to Harry - - to all of us why we just need to wait patiently."

"We, meaning the Order, have narrowed Voldemort's hideout down to about three places. Now, we can't just go around storming secret underground hideouts, Harry. It's too dangerous. We're not going to risk the lives of our friends and family members for one person—"

"She IS family!" Harry exclaimed. "She might as well be my sister."

"Mine too!" Ron proclaimed through a mouthful of cookies.

"Oh, honestly, Ronald. Chew your food." Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "You make it look like I raised farm animals, not sons!"

Lupin looked around at the group: Harry, Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and himself.

"Harry, I'm not saying that Hermione is not a part of your family. All we know is that the Dark Lord is most likely holding her for bait to get to you. Like I said before, we're just going to have to wait until the timing—"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Harry shouted, standing up and slamming his hands on the table. "You can't honestly think that Lord Voldemort is going to keep her alive as bait? He'd kill her as afternoon entertainment. Hermione is one of my best friends, and I'm not just going to sit here and let her suffer."

Harry stormed out of the room, leaving silence behind him.

Looking around at the faces of the other people in the room, Ron slowly grabbed another handful of cookies, and then followed Harry out of the room.

**Sorry it was short!! The next one will be longer, I promise! Reviews??**


	5. Breaking the Silence

Chapter 5 –

Breaking The Silence

---

"Ugh, Malfoy, I can't stand this silence anymore!"

Draco lifted his head from his knees, startled. Hermione was staring at him from across the room.

"What do you want me to say, Granger?" he snarled. His head was pounding and his cheek was still throbbing slightly. He was in no mood for small talk.

"I don't know! We've just been sitting here for hours in dead silence. I'm going mental."

She got up to stretch her legs. She walked over to the window to find the sun setting slowly behind the metal bars. Hermione shivered. Dark, damp dungeons underground weren't known for being warm.

"Tell me about your dad."

Draco raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. "What?"

"Please?"

"What makes you think I want to talk, let alone about my father?"

"Oh come on, Malfoy!" She plopped down a few feet from Draco. He looked at her with questioning eyes, but brushed off the fact that she was that close to him.

Although Draco's family were purebloods, it didn't really bother him that not everyone in the wizarding world were purebloods as well. He had been brought up by his father to believe that anyone other than purebloods were dirty, worthless wastes of oxygen. And even though some of his actions said otherwise, Draco really just saw muggle-borns and whoever else as nothing more than just people.

But he wasn't about to be all buddy-buddy with Granger.

"Granger, I really do not feel like talking to you."

"Well, at least satisfy my curiosity."

"No."

"Then tell me why you are in here. Surely not to baby-sit me?"

Draco laughed in his throat. "Yeah right."

"Well then tell me."

Draco leaned his head back against the wall. "Will you shut up if I do?" he asked, turning to look at her.

Draco did a double take. The evening sunlight was hitting Hermione from behind, and it made her glow. She looked beautiful. He slapped himself mentally and quickly looked away.

"Fine. I'll shut up after you tell me."

He sighed. "If you must know, I am in here as punishment."

"Because you made your Polyjuice potion wrong?"

Draco glared. "Yes."

"And Harry and Ron saw you? And half the school?" she questioned.

His stare turned icy. He didn't need her to rub it in. "Yes."

"I thought you were good in potions."

_Great. _He thought. _Now she's throwing schoolwork in my face._ "I was nervous."

Hermione shifted her weight, leaning back on her hands. "Well, despite all of that, you still got the job done."

Draco blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" She half smiled. From the look on Draco's face, Hermione guessed that Draco had only ever been told what he had done wrong. He may be her enemy, but Hermione began to wonder if it was really his choice.

"That's what I said!" Draco exclaimed, getting excited. He didn't know why. Perhaps because someone had recognized the good parts of something he had done for a change. He stopped. He wasn't about to let her see him as anything but an asshole . . . it could ruin his reputation.

"Well then I don't understand why you are being punished. People make mistakes. As long as the job gets done, right?"

Draco didn't understand. He had kidnapped her, brought her here as bait, perhaps to die. And she didn't seem the least bit upset. What was with her?

"Try telling that to my father."

"Is that why . . ." she trailed off. Hermione had wanted to know about Draco's father before, but suddenly hearing about a child being beaten by their own parent made her sick to her stomach.

"Yeah, Granger. That's why my father beat the shit out of me." Draco shifted his weight, tensing up his face as he did so. Hermione may have fixed his broken ribs, but he was sore as hell. "Still want me to answer your first question?"

Hermione looked up. "What? Oh – no."

Draco smirked slightly. "Didn't think so."

Hermione didn't think it would ever happen, but she was actually sad for Malfoy. As horrible as he had treated her over the last seven years, it all finally made sense.

He'd had no choice.

And he was so calm about it! Almost joking about it. Like it was something so normal.

She wondered what his mother was like. Surely one could not have two unloving parents? It made her strangely curious.

"You wouldn't happen to know any of those incantations for pain, would you?"

Hermione had been picking at some lint on her knee. She didn't really want to look at him. It nearly broke her heart to see someone in such pain because of his father.

"Hello? Granger? In a lot of pain here."

Hermione was jerked from her thoughts. "What?"

"Look, I know I sort of kidnapped you, and now we're unfortunately stuck in this dungeon, together, " he put a strong emphasis on _together_. "But if you help me, I'll let you ask me another question. Deal?"

Hermione smiled. She closed the gap between them with a few scoots across the floor, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Draco crossed his legs Indian style and put his arms at his side. For the second time that day, Hermione put her hands on Draco Malfoy.

She muttered the charms under her breath, sliding her hands slowly across Draco's bruised ribs. After a few minutes of this, Draco sighed.

"I don't think it's working."

Hermione sighed too. "I know, I think your sweater is too thick for pain spells. May I?"

Draco nodded. Hermione hesitated before slowly lifting his shirt to expose his bare skin. She didn't know why she was so nervous.

Draco jumped. "Ha, your fingers are cold." He half smiled.

Hermione rubbed her hands together again. "Sorry." She blushed as she put her fingers back on his ribcage.

There really was no reason for Hermione to put her whole hand completely on Draco's skin, but she couldn't help herself. His skin was incredibly warm. And smooth! She had no idea that boys could have skin as smooth as her own.

Hermione carried on with muttering her healing spells.

"Enjoying yourself there, Granger?" Draco lowered his head to catch her eye. Hermione quickly locked into his stare. He was smiling slightly.

"What?" His eyes mesmerized her. She didn't even realize she had stopped moving her hands. The gentle rise and fall of his ribs from breathing was all she could focus on outside of his steel grey stare.

"The pain has been gone for well over three minutes."

"What? Oh!" She was pulled from his eyes, looking around nervously. "No, I was just making sure it would stay pain free this time." She blushed a deep scarlet and pushed herself away from him.

"Whatever you say, Granger."

And just like that, he was back to being an ass. "Oh shut up, Malfoy."

"You liked touching me and you know it. Don't feel bad, it happens a lot." He smirked, closing his eyes and resting his head on the wall.

"Ugh. You are so arrogant." Crossing her arms over her chest, Hermione sat down the wall as far from him as possible.

She liked touching him. So what? Take away the rude, arrogant attitude, and he's just a drop dead sexy piece of man. Hermione smiled. Then she frowned. She just thought of Malfoy as a "sexy piece of man". She sighed. Just because he was an ass doesn't mean she couldn't enjoy the view.

A small giggle started in Hermione's throat and burst threw her lips. She covered her mouth instantly. She was losing her mind!

_This is Malfoy! Stop thinking like this!_ She scolded herself, frustrated with her thoughts.

On the other hand, Draco was pleased with himself. He had always been somewhat of a sex idol within the Slytherin house, and apparently it rubbed off on other girls in the castle. The fact that Granger was a Mudblood didn't even cross his mind.

And then it did.

Oh well. She already knew his secret about his father, and she didn't judge him on it. Maybe she wasn't as bad as he had previously thought.

And slowly, Draco Malfoy began to enjoy the company of Hermione Granger.

**A/N: sorry kids, that took forever. School is hectic, and work is just as bad! **

**Review?? I promise to get the next chapter out way fast. **


	6. Restless

Chapter 6 –

Restless

---

"It's not like we can just waltz in and take her, Harry." After fifteen or so repetitions of this statement, Ron felt no closer to convincing Harry of its truth.

The kitchen table at 12 Grimmauld Place was littered with maps, papers, and dirty dishes. Harry, Ron, and various members of the order had been searching for where Hermione might be for hours upon hours. No one bothered to look at the clock. It didn't matter what time of day it was, or who had recently bathed. They needed to find Hermione.

Harry was becoming frantic. It had only been two days since he watched as that slim Malfoy dragged off his best friend, but Harry felt that it was two days too long that she had been missing.

"I know that, Ron." Harry snapped.

"Well then stop going mad. We're going to find her, and when we do, I'm going to beat Malfoy to a bloody pulp." Ron crumpled up a piece of parchment in his fist as he made his statement. Little bits of red began to creep up around his ears and down his neck.

"Looks like you're the one who needs to keep calm over there, Ron." Lupin commented from across the kitchen. "Look, you boys have been at this for hours. We have every available member of the Order working on possible places where Voldemort has Hermione. Why don't you go take a few hours of sleep? Or at least a shower? I can smell you from here."

Harry looked over at Ron. Sleep and a shower would be nice, but he couldn't waste time with those luxuries right now. He needed to be there the second they found out where she was. Ron felt the same way, although he figured sparing five minutes for a shower might not be such a bad idea.

Seeming to have read their minds, Lupin put down his parchment and faced the boys. "I promise to inform you as soon as I have word on her whereabouts."

"As soon as you have any word, good or bad. I want all details." Harry looked Lupin stern in the eyes.

"Harry, the situation could not possibly get any worse in the time you take a shower. So please, do us a favor: bathe." Lupin smiled.

"I'm up for some sleep either way, so, um, yeah. Sleep it is." Yawning as he stood, Ron headed up the crooked stairs. Taking one last look over the parchment of a small map of London in his hands, Harry reluctantly put it aside and trudged upstairs for some much needed rest.

---

Harry stumbled into the room he shared with Ron, falling into his bed with a loud thump. He didn't realize how stressed out he had made himself in just forty-eight hours time. Taking a shower was definitely the best idea Lupin had come up with yet. Shaking his head to get the damp hair out of his eyes, Harry settled down for what he knew would be a good nap.

"Do you think he's hurt her?" Ron whispered from his side of the room.

"I sure as hell –" he cleared his throat "I sure as hell hope not. I fucking hate that Voldemort thinks kidnapping my friends will get me to him."

"Well, it's working, isn't it?" Ron rolled over to face his friend.

"But why not just take me in the first place? Now Hermione is out there, God only _knows_ what Malfoy has done to her by now, and I'm fucking stuck up in this room doing nothing!" The quietness of the room was shattered by the hatred in Harry's voice. Never had he felt more searing anger towards the Dark Lord than he had at this moment. Sure, this is the same Dark Lord that killed his parents, but he hardly knew them when that happened. Hermione is practically his blood relative, and Harry just couldn't bear to think about her being in any sort of pain while he stood by and did nothing.

But then again, there really wasn't anything he could do at the moment.

"I understand, mate. Trust me. Hermione is just as much my sister as she is yours." Ron knew it was a lie, but he couldn't let Harry know how he really felt. "But we're not going to be any help if we are falling down from sleep deprivation."

Ron laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes, eager for a few hours of silence and rest. He simply wanted this to be over, for Hermione to be back here safe and sound with the rest of the Order, so the three of them and Ginny could enjoy their summer vacation. It wasn't right that Hermione wasn't here. The death-defying adventures against the Dark Lord usually involved at least the three of them if not more of their schoolmates. But they were all here, and she was out there.

The thought of Lord Voldemort laying one grimy finger on Hermione's sweet, perfect skin made Ron sick to his stomach. He had always known that he loved her as more than just a friend, but she was too wrapped up in her studies, and then Seamus, to even notice him in that way. Ron didn't blame her. He respected her. So much so, he figured, that it was best if he just stayed out of her way until they had finished school. But then Seamus had to bust in and sweep her off her feet. Ron knew he couldn't compete with that, so he simply pushed his feelings aside. Even though it always twisted his heartstrings a little to watch Hermione and Seamus together, Ron knew she was happy. And that's all that mattered.

"And where's fucking _Seamus_?!" Harry sat straight up. Ron groaned. In all of the commotion of the last two days, Harry had completely forgotten about Hermione's boyfriend. "That bastard! He doesn't even care about her!" He was fuming; sleep would be an impossible task at this point.

Ron threw up his hands in surrender. Harry was practically on the warpath; there was no stopping him now. "You know that Seamus' parents don't really approve of him dating her so seriously at this age. You know how parents can be, mate. Cut him some slack."

"I don't know how parents can be, Ron, thankyouverymuch." Harry snapped.

Ron cowered against the harshness of his best friends voice. "Alright, alright. Sorry for that one. Just get some sleep, Harry. No good can come from taking my head off." Rolling over to the other side of his small cot signaled the end of the conversation.

A grumbled sigh escaped Harry's lips. _Ron's right_, he thought. _I just need to sleep it off for a few hours. Lupin said he'd wake us when something happens. It's going to be okay._ Reassuring himself of this one more time, Harry lay back down and attempted to sleep.

---

A crawling sense of fear began to wash over Hermione as she watched the sunset for the second time from her damp prison. Had it really been two days ago that Malfoy tricked her into thinking he was Seamus? She couldn't decide if time was flying because she was constantly in and out of a strange form of sleep, or if it was because the short conversations between herself and Malfoy always ended with bickering, followed by hours of silence.

As good as their conversations started out, in the end, Malfoy always returned to his arrogant self in some form or another. Hermione couldn't understand that. If he was trying to protect the self-image he had created for himself over the past seven years, there was no need. No one else was even within earshot of the pair, and frankly, Hermione didn't give a shit. He needed to get over himself, and fast. The entire "I'm a badass" charade was getting old.

Nonetheless, it was nice to have someone to talk to.

On the other hand, Draco wasn't at all surprised it had been two days already. He had witnessed Voldemort dealing with prisoners (or bait, whatever) several times, and it wasn't out of the norm for him to just leave them in seclusion for days, even weeks. There really was no end in sight for this one. The only plausible solution was to sleep because a) it passed the time, and b) it meant avoiding conversation with Granger.

"Malfoy."

Draco stirred a little.

"Malfoy!"

He jumped slightly. He grunted; Draco hated being woken up. "What?"

"You're snoring."

He rolled his head in the direction of her voice. "Shut the hell up, Granger."

"Oh, well excuse me. But I'm pretty sure that you gave me shit for breathing too loudly a few hours ago." Hermione shot back. _Ugh, he's such an asshole!_

Draco laughed in his throat. "That's because you breathe like a damn giant, Granger."

And here they went again. Hermione was sick of it. She wanted to go home, where it was warm and clean and people actually wanted her there. Sitting in this darkened prison with Draco Malfoy was the worst form of torture she could imagine. Mental stimulation was her forte, and when someone as intelligent as herself was forced to sit with someone as idiotic as Malfoy, it was almost the same as beating her brain into a pulp.

"No comeback, Granger? You're usually pretty quick with the witty comments these days. I just figured my intelligence was beginning to wear off on you." Draco stood up to stretch, his long arms almost touching the ceiling. A bit of his sweater rose up, exposing the milky white skin of his stomach. Hermione's spine was instantly alert with chills, without her permission. The memory of putting her hands on his warm skin made her skin crawl in a way that she was only vaguely familiar with.

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. I'm just fed up with talking to you." She stood too, realizing that it had been quite a while since she let blood flow through her body properly. Hermione was instantly dizzy, and stumbled forward a few steps. Malfoy caught her by the elbow.

"Hey look, Granger, if you're hiding some sort of beverage up in that bra of yours, you better start sharing." He grinned down at her, still clutching her elbow. Hermione suddenly realized just how much taller he was than her. Not enough for it to be awkward, but she would've had to stand on her tiptoes if she were to ki---_No! _She mentally scolded herself and stepped back, yanking her elbow from his grip.

"I'm fine, thanks." Hermione hated the fact that her skin tingled slightly where he had touched her, even though he didn't actually touch her skin.

Draco threw up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm just trying to liven up the party, here."

"You can stop with the act, Malfoy. I don't give a shit if you can run your mouth." Hermione leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest as well as crossing her ankles. _Damn her,_ Draco thought. _Every time she's pissed at me, her cheeks get all rosy and it makes her look . . . well, cute. Fuck that._

This was happening too fast. Malfoy hated Granger, and she hated him right back. That was just the way it was. There's no need to change things when they are working out just fine.

"Alright, here's the deal." Hermione came off the wall, walking towards Malfoy with her finger pointed sternly at him. "I don't know why you've brought me here, probably as a way to lure 'The Boy Who Lived' here. I hate you and your disgusting, arrogant attitude, and I'm pretty damn positive you hate me. So why don't we just cut the bullshit and stop speaking to each other."

Draco shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Fine by me, Granger. The silence will just give you a better opportunity to think about that special moment we shared on the castle steps. Do you remember it?" He grinned. He loved to watch her squirm, even if she did her best to hide it.

Hermione narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Ugh, Malfoy, just get over yourself. It's not like I enjoyed it. I was tricked."

Suddenly, Draco was standing just inches from her, his steel gray eyes piercing her own. "What, you don't like the idea of sharing a kiss with your enemy?"

Hermione was frozen. She did enjoy that kiss, more than any other kiss she had shared with Seamus. But that's only because it wasn't actually Seamus she had kissed. It was the incredibly attractive guy standing before her. She worked for a few seconds to swallow the lump that had risen in her throat, unable to pull her eyes away from his intense stare.

Just as suddenly as he had approached her, Draco had backed away to the opposite side of the chamber. "Thought so," he said over his shoulder. He smiled to himself. If there was one trait Draco admired in him, it was his ability to make girls unable to function in his presence.

It was another couple of seconds before Hermione found her voice. "What? No. I was just—you startled me, that's all." She leaned back against the cool wall, hoping to slow her heartbeat down. Hermione was completely taken aback, and confused as hell as to why she had reacted so intensely to being so close to Malfoy. "And I did _not_ enjoy that kiss." She threw in as a last reassuring statement to let Malfoy know that he didn't just win.

"Ha, whatever you say Granger. I saw the look in your eyes just now. It looks to me like no one has ever kissed you like I did." He seemed smug. It made Hermione hate him with an entirely new fire.

"Excuse me, but that is my personal business, Malfoy," she spat his name out like poison, "And I don't really appreciate you acting as if you know me. You don't know shit about me. And by the way, I would hardly call that a kiss."

This caught Draco's attention. "What?"

"You seemed extremely stiff at first, like it was your first kiss besides an episode with the back of your hand." Hermione was proud of her witty remark, but wasn't about to let Malfoy see that.

"Are you serious? I was in the middle of a crucial plan, Granger. I had no time for making out, especially with the likes of you, mudblood." Sure, he may have just called her the foulest name possible, but he definitely stumbled over it this time. Maybe he was cracking, perhaps beginning to realize that having muggle blood really didn't mean as much as he previously had thought.

"You posed as my boyfriend, Malfoy. Did you honestly think that a kiss wouldn't happen?"

"I, well, it wasn't . . . um, well no. Not really." He admitted. Now that he looked back, it definitely wasn't something he had covered. No doubt another factor as to why he had fucked up the plan in the end.

"See? So therefore, it wasn't a real kiss. And therefore, you have nothing to be smug about." Feeling as if this was the end of the conversation, Hermione leaned back on the wall again and closed her eyes. She liked the feeling of victory over the great Draco Malfoy and she wanted to keep the feeling as long as possible.

She felt breathing in her ear. Draco was right up against her again, his heavily breathing chest mere inches from her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Would you like me to show you how it's really done?" He breathed.

**Sorry my wonderful readers…I'm off studying in London for a semester! I actually have more down time then I thought I would, so hopefully I can get this story crankin! Let me know what you think =)**


	7. It Just Dawned On Me

Chapter 7 -

It Just Dawned On Me

---

It was as if someone had thrown a rock at his head, as the reality of the situation came crashing into Draco's mind. What was he doing? Putting the moves on Granger? It was utterly, and completely absurd.

And yet, Draco found himself unable to move.

A million thoughts were racing through his mind. He couldn't believe what he had done, that he was standing just inches from this girl he had hated for seven long years. Why had his view on her changed? Being trapped in this damn cell not only made him, apparently, a little horny, but it also somehow made him a little soft on the inside. Granger was just another girl, who cared what type of blood flowed in her veins?

The strange rush of tingles came over Hermione quicker than she could've ever imagined. She couldn't believe she was feeling this way. Even if she could describe how she felt at that moment, sandwiched between Draco Malfoy and the wall, there was no way she could explain why. Hermione's heartbeat increased dramatically. She looked up into Malfoy's stare. It was so intense, that Hermione wished she could read them better, to find an answer to such intensity. Never in her year or so with Seamus had she ever felt so filled with passion. _Holy shit . . . this is Malfoy! What is wrong with me?_

Suddenly, without missing a beat, Draco backed away into the corner and slid down the wall. Hermione blinked.

"Well, uh…" she stammered, unable to find words to fill the awkward silence.

Draco closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth slowly, followed by several repetitions of hitting his head on the wall. He needed to get over the fact that he was becoming immensely attracted to Granger, for God only knows why. Being trapped in here for two days would make any two people loathe each other, whereas Draco wanted nothing more than to kiss her fiercely.

He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd gone bloody mad.

Hermione slid down the wall as well, her hand at her lips. Could she really be attracted this strongly to this boy that she's grown so accustomed to hating? It couldn't be possible.

She just needed to see Seamus. That would be sure to fix it.

---

Harry stared at the ceiling. It was no use trying to sleep with Ron snoring like a freight truck in the cot next to him. He had tossed and turned for more than an hour, but he hadn't managed to get more than about twenty minutes of actual sleep. Finally deciding that his time would be better spent searching for Hermione's whereabouts, he rolled into a sitting position.

Looking for something to cover his bare chest, all Harry could find was a dreaded Molly Weasely sweater. This particular one was a lovely shade of puke yellow, with a maroon 'H' stitched neatly into the center. With a small groan of embarrassment, he pulled it over his messy black hair. At least it was better than walking around half naked.

Harry sneaked down the crooked staircase, carefully avoiding the well-known vanishing steps. He hoped that maybe Lupin had cleared out of the kitchen, and that he could work for a few hours without someone telling him that he's wasting his time. If it was one thing that got on Harry's nerves, it was pessimism.

Walking smoothly past the snoozing portrait of Sirius Black's mother, Harry crept down the darkened hallway towards the kitchen. A quick peek through the crack in the door showed the room to be empty. Harry stepped through the door, relieved to see all his parchments still in place, and immediately sat down and began again where he had left off a few hours ago.

"Harry, didn't Lupin tell you to get some shut-eye?"

Harry jumped at the sound of the voice, but one glance informed him it was simply Mrs. Weasely. "You look awful, dear. Why don't you go back upstairs? I'll come and wake you when dinner's all set, hmm?" She placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I tried, Mrs. Weasely, but Ron snores like no other. I couldn't sleep anymore." He rested his head in his hand, and aimlessly stared at the sea of parchments before him. "Besides, every time I closed my eyes, all I could picture was Hermione being hurt, or lost, or " he hated to say it, " . . .dead."

"Oh my, Harry." She pulled up a chair next to her 'adopted' son, and put a loving arm around his shoulders. "You and I both know very well that Hermione is a very capable witch. I'm sure she is handling herself just fine. Everyone is working hard to find her, so there's no need to give up on sleep. So chin up, eh?" She squeezed him into an awkward sideways hug.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasely. She's just, well, family. And I've looked over everything here. There's no way we can find her with what we have."

"You can't just go out there uninformed, Harry. That would be an even bigger waste of time. Now, if it'll soothe your mind, why don't you just go over everything once more, eh? I'll make you a nice cup of tea and some biscuits." She smiled and bustled into the pantry.

He almost hated to admit it, but Mrs. Weasely was right. Hermione was strong and smart. She could hold her own during all of their previous dealings with Voldemort, so he was sure she could do it this time. And she had always been the quickest one to snap back at Malfoy whenever he decided to make their lives hell.

Yes, she was fine. He convinced himself of it and went about rereading the documents.

It was only a matter of twenty minutes into his research that Harry found it. "I've got it!" He yelled triumphantly to no one in particular.

It was at that moment that Lupin and Mad Eye Moody were walking through the front door, and at the outburst of Harry's words, they along with Mrs. Weasely came running into the kitchen.

"What, Harry?"

"What have you got?"

"What the devil are you shouting about?" They all exclaimed at once.

They found Harry standing at the far side of the long table with a parchment in one hand, and a crazy expression on his face.

"Where Voldemort's hiding Hermione! I've got it!" Harry grabbed another piece of parchment and quickly moved to the other side of the table.

"Harry, from these documents? We've looked over them a hundred times and we've come up with nothing." Lupin looked at Harry with disbelief, all traces of excitement vanishing from the werewolf's face.

"Give the boy a chance to explain, Remus. Go on, Harry. Tell us what you've found." Moody pulled up a stool next to Harry and looked eagerly at him.

"Alright," Harry began, his heart racing. "Remember how there were Dark magic activities sighted in this area, outside main city London?" He pointed to a place he had circled on the map. "Well, what if the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort are back there? They know as well as we do that that place has been used for Dark purposes, and is therefore on the map for possible places to use. But, it hasn't been used in over a year. Maybe they went back, hoping it was out of everyone's minds by now."

Lupin and Moody exchanged glances. The idea was pretty far fetched, but Harry may have actually found the secret hiding place of the Dark Lord.

"Well, I supposed it's worth an investigation." Moody scratched his chin thoughtfully. "What do you say, Professor?"

"I think Harry might be on to something. Good job, my boy!" Lupin gave him a hearty pat on the back. "First thing tomorrow, we lead a team of Aurors in for a search and rescue party. How does that sound?"

Harry's face fell. "Tomorrow? Why not right now?"

"It's nearly dinner time, Harry dear." Mrs. Weasely offered from behind them. "And besides, you know I don't like the idea of you and Ronald going out with Remus and Moody in the first place. But, seeing as how you've recently graduated, I think I might have to put my demands aside. But it still doesn't mean that I approve!" She bustled out of the dining area into the kitchen, with a worried look on her face. Lupin and Moody followed, eager to fill their empty stomachs.

He couldn't believe his ears. Harry had just solved the mystery of where Hermione might be held captive, and they are more worried about filling their stomachs? It was ridiculous! This was not something he was about to sit around and wait for sunrise for. Harry knew where his best friend was, and he wasn't going to put her safety aside for one more second.

Without another second's hesitation, Harry dashed out the kitchen door, around the corner, and up the stairs.

"Ron! Ron, Ron wake up!" He shouted at his friend.

Ron mumbled something along the lines of "Go the fuck away" and rolled over.

"Ron, come on! I've found out where Hermione is!" Harry was practically shouting now. He knew that if he could just get Ron awake, the two of them could go off and save their friend.

"WHAT?!" Ron shouted, shooting out of bed and immediately looking for a pair of slacks to pull on. "Why the bloody hell didn't you say so before?"

"I was trying to wake your sleeping arse up! Now come on, get dressed!" Harry was shouting just as loud as Ron, both of them excited to no end. Both boys stumbled around like idiots trying to find something decent to wear. Harry was eager to get out of his puke yellow sweater - - if he was going to be facing any member of the Malfoy family tonight, he'd rather not let them rub his wardrobe choices in his face on top of everything else.

Finally settling on some dark jeans and track jacket, Harry picked up his parchment to review their destination.

"Wait, I don't even know where we're going, mate." Ron stopped with his sweater halfway over his head, realizing that he was clueless as to the plan.

"We'll just apperate together once we're outside." Harry rolled up the parchment with the map on it, stuck it in his pocket, and signaled Ron to follow quietly down the stairs.

"Remind me again why we are sneaking out? Wouldn't it be more affective if Lupin and Moody came with us?" Ron whispered behind Harry, looking behind him to make sure no one was following.

"Ron, shoosh! I'll explain outside."

As soon as the boys were safely outside and almost positive no one had heard or seen them leave, Harry began to explain the situation to his friend.

"Tomorrow! They're mad, they're all bloody mad. We can't wait until tomorrow." Ron proclaimed after he had heard Harry's story.

"I know, Ron, that's why we are going right now." Harry pulled out his parchment to make one last verification of Voldemort's supposed hideout.

"Hold on there, Harry. Do we know what we're doing?"

"Er, not exactly. We're just going to apperate there and see what we can find. If we find Hermione, great. If not, we'll come back with Professor Lupin and the others." Harry shrugged and continued walking so that they were out of view of 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Sorry, mate." Harry suddenly said.

"Come again? Sorry for what?"

"For what I said the other night, about Hogwarts being the safest place. I said that nothing bad could happen to us as long as we were at school." Harry kicked the ground as he walked, like a five year old who just confessed to breaking mum's pot of flowers.

"Oh, no, no Harry. Don't blame yourself for this one. It's still a true statement, nonetheless. Because technically, Malfoy had pulled Hermione outside the castle grounds before they apperated. So therefore, they weren't in the confines of the safety that Hogwarts offers." Ron attempted a smile to cheer up his friend.

"Yeah, I guess." Harry agreed. It made sense, but it didn't really make him feel any better. They kept walking a ways until Harry felt sure they were far enough away from the house.

"This should be good enough. Here, Ron. Stare at the map so you know where we're going."

Ron looked over the map and focused on the circled section on the outer edge of the city. "Um, Harry? Perhaps I should just hold onto your sleeve or something."

Harry nodded in agreement. Ron took a firm hold of Harry's jacket sleeve, and the two of them closed their eyes and disappeared on the spot.

---

Darkness filled the small, damp chamber once again, and Hermione found herself in the corner opposite Draco, attempting some sleep. Neither one of them had uttered a word since the awkward encounter a few hours earlier; Hermione figured it was for the best. She hated him. He had only ever treated her like a piece of shit, and she didn't really expect that to change any time soon. And besides, what had she been thinking! Kissing Malfoy was so far out of the question it wasn't even funny.

But whatever mystery Malfoy held behind his eyes, it was driving Hermione mad. She had figured out, however, that Malfoy was much more complex than he had ever let on. A small twinge of guilt crept up into Hermione's gut as she realized that maybe she, as well as everyone else, had irrevocably misjudged Draco Malfoy. Not only had his father physically abused him for only God knows how long, but he actually appeared to have some sense of heart. It was at this moment that Hermione decided she maybe felt bad for him.

So then maybe being attracted to him wasn't so much against the rules after all. Besides, she was only physically attracted. Just because he maybe had a rough life didn't give him the right to call her such foul names for seven years. He was, she admitted, gorgeous beyond belief. And she could only imagine what his body looked like under his sweater. If it looked anything like it felt . . .

She stopped. She was getting carried away with her thoughts. It was incredibly unlike her to think about guys in such ways. Sure, she had been with Seamus for a while, and she'd physically been with him more times than she could count, but she never felt the way that Draco had made her feel up against the wall only hours ago. And he didn't even touch her! Hermione was confused. She loved Seamus; she shouldn't be feeling this way about someone, let alone Malfoy.

Fighting with herself was making her head hurt, so Hermione closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to overcome her again.

"Here, Granger."

Hermione's eyes shot open. Draco was standing right in front of her, his sweater held out to her.

"What?" She blinked in confusion; she couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality.

"You're shivering." He dropped it on her knees and returned to his original seating position. Now she had to be dreaming.

She picked up the sweater and stared at it, unsure if it was some sort of trick. "But, you're just wearing a t-shirt. Aren't you cold?"

"No. I'm fine." Draco's answers were short, almost angry. Was he having that hard of a time being nice? In truth, however, he really didn't care. He was cold, but she was clearly freezing. He figured Granger could already read through him, so why not show a little pleasantry. But not too much; he definitely didn't want to give her the wrong impression.

"Are you sure?" Hermione was still confused. Why was he being nice?

"Just put the damn thing on, Granger." He looked at her, but his face was softer than his voice. Hermione obliged and pulled the oversized sweater over her head. The sleeves were nearly six inches too long, and she could probably fit inside of the thing twice. But she didn't care. It was warm. She smiled to herself; Draco Malfoy did something nice. And towards herself, of all people.

"It's that exciting, huh?" Draco asked from across the way, his silvery blonde hair the only bright thing in the room.

"No, it's just - - well thank you, I guess." She smiled towards him, hoping he would get that she appreciated the act itself more than the actual sweater.

"Don't mention it. Ever." Draco wasn't about to be nice more than once in a day. It might seriously destroy him.

It was the first time the two of the former schoolmates had talked to each other without ending in a heated argument. Hermione knew she was a good person, but if she was seriously rubbing off on Malfoy, well that brought her good abilities to a whole new level.

"I'm sorry." It was nothing more than a whisper, but it got Hermione to open her eyes again.

She narrowed her eyes in his direction. She couldn't tell if he had actually spoken or if she had imagined it.

"I'm sorry I kidnapped you." This time, she heard him loud and clear. Draco hadn't raised his head from resting on his knees, so she couldn't see the expression in his eyes when he said this, but something told her that he really meant it.

"What?" She wanted to hear him say it one more time.

"It's just . . . my father. You know? I didn't really have a choice in the matter. I'm . . . I'm sorry." Draco couldn't believe his own ears, so he doubted that Granger would believe him. He still couldn't explain what was coming over him, why all of his previous thoughts on Granger were changing, but he didn't really feel like trying to resist it anymore. It had been two, almost three days since the Dark Lord threw him in here, and all the mental fighting he had done with himself was too much to handle anymore.

"It's okay." Hermione said in a comforting voice. "I know."

"You do?" Draco looked up.

Hermione quickly understood why Draco looked so eager. "I mean I understand. Sorry, that came out wrong."

"Oh," Draco pulled his arms closer around his body. It was a bit chillier than he had previously thought when he gave up his sweater to Hermione.

It was an unheard of conversation between two such rivals, and neither one truly believed that it just happened. Hermione thought it was a dream, and Draco thought he was just losing his mind.

"This doesn't mean that we're friends, Granger." Draco finally said after several minutes of silence.

Hermione rolled her eyes. _Of course,_ she thought,_ why would he actually be nice for more than two minutes? _She didn't even want to say something to him. There was no use arguing with Draco Malfoy. Again.

The sound of the door unlocking pulled Hermione from her thoughts. She and Draco were instantly on their feet, anxious to see who, or what, was behind the door.

"Do you think its Voldemort?" Hermione whispered to Draco, the two of them pressed their bodies to the wall farthest from the door.

"Don't be ridiculous, Granger. He would never come to a chamber to retrieve his _bait_." Draco spat, all evidence of any pleasantry completely gone from his voice.

Hermione shot him a look of disbelief through the dark. Hadn't he just given her his sweater only minutes before? And an apology as well? _What the hell just happened? This kid is like black and white,_ she thought._ I can't keep up. _

It seemed that whoever was opening the door wasn't entirely sure how it opened. A vision of Harry, Ron, and Seamus appeared in Hermione's mind and an entirely new hope of being rescued surged through her body. It was gone as quickly as it had come as she remembered that she had no clue where she was, so she doubted the members of the Order of the Phoenix knew anything either. It was only a matter of ten seconds that all of these thoughts raced through her head.

Standing only four or five feet from her, Draco was terrified, although he would never show it. If it was his father coming through that door, he knew he would be in for it. He may have gotten a beating before his father threw him in here with Granger, but that would be nothing compared to what was going to happen to him once he got out of here. He was used to it by now, but that didn't mean it didn't terrify him any less.

The lock on the door finally stopped clicking, and the door swung open only a few inches. A flood of light drifted in forcing Draco and Hermione to shield their eyes. The door was pushed open several feet, and two silhouettes stepped into the room. It appeared they were struggling to focus their eyes in the dark room, as one of them gave several attempts to light their wand.

Hermione instantly recognized the voice. "Ron?" She took a few steps forward just as the silhouette came more into the room.

"Hermione?! We found you!" Harry's voice came from the second figure, and the two rushed forward to embrace Hermione.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Hermione was entirely in shock. She couldn't believe the boys were here to save her.

"We came to save you, Hermione!" Ron shouted. Harry instantly shooshed him. "Oi, sorry."

"How in God's name did you find me?" Hermione whispered to them.

"Well, Harry's a genius with maps and the like. It was brilliant, Hermione! We busted out of headquarters because Lupin and Mad Eye didn't want to go tonight. They wanted to wait until tomorrow. Can you believe it?" Ron was so excited all of his words came out in one breath.

Hermione looked in Harry's direction for a clearer explanation. "I'll explain later. Well come on, then. Let's get the bloody hell out of here." Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and began to drag her towards the door. When Hermione didn't move, Harry let his hand fall to hers and looked her stern in the face. "Mione? What's wrong? We have to go now, before we get caught."

"Come with us." She stated. She dropped Harry's hand and whipped around to face back into the shadows of the chamber.

Harry and Ron were completely puzzled. A movement in the shadows indicated that someone else was in the room with them. It was only then that the rescue brigade noticed the silvery shimmer in the corner of the small chamber.

Malfoy laughed in his throat. "What makes you think I would go anywhere with the likes of you three?"

Ron lurched forward, his fists clenched tight and a low grumbled emitting from his chest. Hermione immediately grabbed his arm. "Ron, this is not the place. We don't need to bring anymore attention to ourselves then necessary." She didn't even notice that Harry had moved forward to Malfoy to stare him down. It wasn't really a stare down, however, seeing as how both boys were equal in stature.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco pushed himself off the wall to his full height, looking Harry straight in the eye.

"If you've harmed one hair on her head, I'll fucking kill you, Malfoy." Hermione had never seen Harry look so serious in his life, not even when he was up against Lord Voldemort.

Draco leaned around Harry to look at Hermione. "I thought you were dating that bloke Finnigan? What's with Potter's little threat?"

Hermione simply rolled her eyes. "Harry, enough. Let's just get the hell out of here already. What's the next step in the plan?" As she finished her sentence, they could hear yelling and fast approaching footsteps from somewhere far off in the corridor.

Voldemort knew they were here.

"We'll just apperate out, I guess." Ron shrugged, looking between his friends.

"You guess? Brilliant plan, Ronald." Hermione looked around. "We have to get out of this room though. How far until we are outside altogether?"

"Not far," Harry stated. "It's just down to the left a few yards or so."

The sound of voices sounded much closer this time, and the group started to panic. "It doesn't look like we have time to get that far." Harry pointed out. He thought quickly, "Here, just step into the hallway. It should work. Hermione, Ron, hold on to arm."

"Wait." Hermione said, looking behind her.

"Wait? For what?" Ron and Harry said together, looking utterly confused.

"Come with us." She offered again. Hermione knew it was a long shot, but even after their rocky past, she couldn't leave Malfoy behind when she knew his father was not far down the corridor.

"What?" Draco's voice was filled with sheer bewilderment. He wasn't sure if she was being serious.

"Just come on, Malfoy. Take my hand." She held out her hand eagerly, still not entirely sure why she felt the need to save him after all he had put her through in the last years.

"Hermione you can't be serious! This is Malfoy, _Draco_ Malfoy." Ron squealed. He had never hated someone more in his life, and here the girl he was secretly in love with wanted to bring him with them on their rescue adventure.

Hermione ignored him, only looking at Malfoy. It was a silent, awkward few seconds as both Draco and Hermione contemplated what this meant in the long run. Harry didn't even want to begin to understand what the _fuck_ was happening, there was no time for questions now. The footsteps had to have been just around the corner. Every second they waited put them that much closer to danger, maybe even death.

Ron looked wildly at Harry and then at Hermione. "Harry! Are you just going to stand there?"

Harry didn't answer. He just looked at the floor. It was a horrible moment, and Harry wanted no part of it. Something happened to Hermione in the short time she had spent in that chamber. This wasn't his Hermione. She wouldn't be nice to that asshole Malfoy. Why was he even in there with her? Harry shook the thoughts from his head; time for questions would be after they were back safe at 12 Grimmauld Place.

There was only one more door separating the four schoolmates from the impending doom that was fast approaching them now. Shouts and random cracks of useless spells could be heard just beyond the heavy steel door before them, just to the right of the chamber Hermione and Draco had suffered in for nearly three days. It was only a matter of seconds before they were found.

All of this happened in only a matter of seconds. Hermione held Draco's stare the entire time, searching for some sort of answer deep within his eyes. It was nearly impossible to read his expression though. As the door began to open, Hermione inhaled sharply, afraid that it was too late. The four whipped their heads in the direction of the now open door as they saw Lucius Malfoy screaming wildly at his son. Six large Death Eaters filled the doorway, and Hermione had a sickening feeling that they would never make it out alive at this point.

Just as she thought it was going to be the end, Draco closed the gap between himself and Hermione in one step and took a hold of her outstretched hand.

"Think of home." She whispered.

**I hope you enjoyed that! Two chapters in one day. And the next one is well on it's way. **

**Let me know what you think. **


	8. The Field

Chapter 8 –

The Field

---

As many times as Hermione had apperated before, she still hated doing it. The fear of getting stuck in two different places was something she wasn't about to get over, and the fact that she always felt like she was suffocating made it that much worse. But this time was different. She was pressed firmly into the front of Draco's body, and she gripped his hand tightly, with Harry pressed closely behind her. Hermione's heart fluttered uncontrollably at the thought of being so close to Malfoy again. She didn't want to land at 12 Grimmauld Place because it meant she would have to step away from him. It was something completely unknown to her, but Hermione found herself drawn to Draco at this moment, her heartstrings tugging in anticipation of physical contact.

It was the same situation that Hermione found her thoughts trapped in only hours before. These feelings towards Malfoy (of all people) were becoming a frequent interruption in her head, keeping any form of logical thinking out. But Hermione really could've cared less at this point. The curiosity to kiss Draco again was overwhelming, but despite her racing thoughts, she knew it was not something that was ever going to happen.

The journey was short, but much different than a usual apperation. It felt as if they were being tugged in two different directions, and as if the magic finally gave up on fighting with the unusual pull, the group dropped to the soft ground, rolling away from each other. After finally coming to a stop several feet apart Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco each stood and brushed themselves off.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Harry exclaimed, looking around.

"And since when does apperating end with a fall on our asses?" Ron huffed, brushing the grass off his arms.

Taking in her surroundings Hermione realized they were in the middle of nowhere. Some sort of field surrounded by dark, rolling hills. The sun had set completely now, leaving just a faint hint of orange on the horizon. Nowhere near the Order headquarters.

"Er, my guess would be that we each thought of a different place to go." Draco said, shaking his silvery hair free of grass.

"No thanks to you!" Ron shouted, his face turning that famous color of Weasely red.

"Shut it up, Weasel." Draco said, turning his back on the group to look out to the horizon. Ron fumed. He hated that Malfoy was here because the love of Ron's life begged him to come. It was not something he was about to tolerate.

"_I_ said think of home, and that's what everybody did. Calm down, Ronald." Hermione snapped. Maybe it was a mistake to save Draco from his father. She couldn't betray her best friends in the entire world to save their enemy, could she? But she had just done it. It wasn't so much a betrayal, though. More like it was something a kind-hearted person would do for anyone. Just because you hate someone doesn't mean you want to see him or her dead. But Harry and Ron sure did loathe Malfoy.

Ron's jaw dropped. "What the bloody hell is going on, Hermione? Why are you defending him?" He jabbed an angry finger in Draco's direction. "Do you not remember the part where he fucking kidnapped you?" He was shouting now, unable to control his temper. Who knew that missing Hermione for three days, only to find her trapped in a room with Malfoy would create such anger? The truth is, Ron was jealous. Hermione was dating Seamus. Ron was in love with her anyways, she never notices him in that sort of way, and now she's defending Malfoy? He was baffled. It something out of a horror story and Ron couldn't be angrier.

Hermione just stood there, unable to understand why Ron was so furious. Draco wasn't hurting anybody. He hadn't hurt her at all, couldn't Ron and Harry see that? As much as she wanted her friends to understand the truth of the situation, of why she told Draco to escape with them, so that they could trust her judgment, Hermione knew it was impossible. She would infuriate Draco for spilling his most dreaded secret, and even though she had recently discovered a sense of respect for their schoolmate, they weren't friends just yet. Hermione wouldn't dare betray a friend, no matter what the stage of friendship they were in.

"It was just something I had to do, Ron, alright?" She finally answered. Hermione gave Draco a quick sideways glance to make sure he was still there. She hoped her statement wouldn't give away too much, though she had chosen her words carefully for this very reason.

Harry stepped forward so he was next to Ron, looking equally as frustrated. "Something you had to do? Like it was a _fucking_ obligation? Hermione, this is Malfoy! _Draco_ Malfoy? Ring a bell? You don't go around saving the likes of him without angering your best mates. So unless you have a better answer for us, Ron and I are leaving. And so are you."

"Don't act like you can control me, Harry." Hermione's voice level rose with each word. "I'll do whatever the bloody hell I want!" She couldn't believe what she was saying, or why she was saying it. These were her closest friends in the entire world; they had just risked their necks, again, to save her. Harry and Ron didn't understand, nor where they about to change their heated opinions of Malfoy just because Hermione helped him escape. The idea of going back to Order of the Phoenix headquarters with Harry and Ron was suddenly appalling. She was being drawn to Draco in the strangest of ways, and she didn't want to leave his presence just yet.

Staring off into the darkening hills, Draco listened to the friends arguing behind him. He smiled to himself; he enjoyed irritating Potter and Weasely. Perhaps this was going to be a bit more entertaining than he previously had thought. Draco realized he had let his guard down a little in the dungeon the past few days, and he had allowed Hermione to see a different side of him. Well, now was the time to put his walls back up. There was no way in hell Potter and Weasel were going to find out why he had grabbed Hermione's hand at the last second. Draco needed to think of an excuse, and quick, incase of future questioning.

It definitely had to be something believable, but something that could be forgotten as quickly as it was said. Then it came to him. Draco decided that he would simply say that Lord Voldemort wanted to punish him for screwing up the kidnapping process. There, that would satisfy their curiosity long enough for him to get away from them.

The friends continued to argue behind him, and he noticed that Hermione had stubbornly refused to give a more detailed answer to their silly questions. Draco was slightly shocked that Granger would keep his secret so intently, especially with a history like theirs. He was immediately impressed by her sincerity.

"Ugh, Hermione, just fucking tell us why you brought that rat, Malfoy!" Ron shouted. At the mention of his name, Draco turned around to face the trio. He was surprised to find Hermione's fists balled up as tightly as Harry and Ron's.

"It doesn't matter Ron, alright? Just leave it alone." Hermione struggled to keep her voice calm, afraid of ruining the most important friendships in her life.

"Well, don't think for one second that that piece of shit is going to come back to headquarters with us." Harry snarled at Draco, his eyes boring into Draco's head.

"What makes you think I want to go anywhere with the likes of you, Potter?" Draco snarled right back.

"You're the one who came with us in the first place!" Ron shouted again.

"Fuck off, Malfoy." Harry huffed.

Malfoy started forward towards Harry, both boys prepared to beat the other to a pulp. Hermione quickly stepped between them to intervene, her hands placed on each of the boys' chests to stop their raging forward motion.

"Look, every one just calm down." The boys stopped moving towards each other, but the anger did not fade from their faces, or fists. Hermione's heart did a flip-flop once it clicked in her head that she was touching Draco again. She made a mental note to sort out her thoughts on the issue later.

"I told him to come with us, Harry, so if anything, be mad at me. Although there is no reason why he couldn't have come with us, so just drop it." Hermione turned towards Harry in a defensive stance against him. Because she had her hair pulled up in a twist, she could feel Draco's heated breath blowing lightly against her neck. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply to calm herself, reminding herself that she would figure it out later. But the smell of Draco radiated off of his body. Hermione remembered the smell from when he had her pressed into the wall back in the chamber. The desire to repeat that scenario ate at her core, forcing tingles down her spine. Nothing would satisfy her more than to turn and throw her arms around his neck, kissing him roughly.

The sound of the boys all shouting at each other pulled her from her daydream, and in good timing too. Ron had tackled Draco around the waist, and the two had begun a rough tumble down the hillside.

"Oh, Ron! What the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione shouted, running down the hill after them, closely followed by Harry.

As soon as Ron and Draco stopped tumbling, they stood up and started the typical guy fight. Random punches were thrown as well as a few more tackles here and there. As Ron punch Draco hard in the ribs, Hermione let out a small gasp. It had only been a couple of days since Lucius Malfoy had beat Draco, breaking his ribs. The fact that Ron had just punched the shit out of them was painful for Hermione, and she was just watching. She couldn't imagine how Draco felt.

After a few more punches thrown in Draco's direction, Hermione decided it was enough. Grabbing Harry's arm, she spun him around to face her and quickly pulled his wand out of his pocket. Casting a quick stunning spell, Ron and Draco fell away from each other, falling motionless on the ground.

"You two are bloody ridiculous!" Hermione shouted. When she knew it had been long enough for Draco and Ron to calm down, she removed the spell.

"Look," Ron said, wiping the blood off of his swelling cheek where Draco's fist split the skin wide open. "Let's just get back to Headquarters, alright?"

Harry nodded. He moved to help his friend stand, ignoring Draco completely. Clutching his re-broken ribs, Draco stood slowly and considered the situation. He couldn't let Granger go back with those idiots; he just knew something would happen to her, and he wasn't quite sure why he cared. The safest place would be…

"No."

Harry and Ron turned to face their enemy in utter confusion. "Excuse me?" Harry spat.

"She can't go with you." Draco struggled to get the words out, each breath sending a shooting pain through the right side of his body. He knew Hermione would only be safe with him. He knew how the Death Eaters functioned from the inside, and keeping Hermione locked up in a place where one such Death Eater was a frequent visitor was a horribly bad idea.

"Who the hell are you to decide where Hermione goes?" Ron demanded.

"Snape."

"Snape?" Harry and Ron said together.

"He—he'll be there too. He'll tell Voldemort where she is . . . " Draco breathed.

A light bulb went off in Hermione's head. "He's right, you know." She looked towards Draco to show her agreement. Although he made no physical acknowledgement, Hermione knew he understood.

"Oh, come off it, Malfoy." Harry said. "Let's get out of here Hermione."

She had no idea why she said it, but she did. "No."

Ron's jaw dropped. Harry looked at Hermione with an expression that Hermione had never seen before. That had done it. She knew that their friendship would now only be repaired with several long, drawn out apologies. But Hermione knew that it would be fixed . . . eventually.

Harry threw up his hands in surrender. "Fine. Whatever." He turned and took several strides away from the other three, muttering something about "she'll come crawling back".

Ron shook his head in disappointment. "I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did, Hermione." He turned to follow Harry. Hermione watched with a heavy heart as her two friends apperated away, unsuccessful in their attempts to rescue her.

"Thank God they're gone." Draco huffed, lowering himself slowly to a sitting position. Hermione knew that she should have been angry with him for saying such a thing, but to her own surprise she wasn't. She glanced at the spot where Ron and Harry had disappeared from once more before taking a seat a few feet away from Draco.

"So what now?" She asked after several minutes of silence; Draco's ragged breathing was the only sound in the empty field. The full moon had begun to shine just behind them, leaving long silver shadows across the grass. Hermione pulled her legs close to her body in an attempt to deflect the sudden drop in temperature. "And why do you care if I'm safe?"

Draco snorted. "Oh, excuse me."

"Well it's an honest question." Hermione pointed out. "Normally, you would have just left me and saved your own skin."

Draco was silent for so long that Hermione figured that he just simply wasn't going to answer her. "You saved me, so I felt like I owed you." He finally said, although it was barely more than a whisper.

Hermione was stunned. Butterflies rose in her stomach inexplicably, but she did not want them to go away. She was beginning to get used to how being around Draco made her head feel dizzy and her knees weak. She didn't want it to stop. Not ever.

"Oh. Well, thanks, I guess." She rested her forehead on her knees, forgetting that the dark would hide her blushing cheeks. "So, I doubt Voldemort and his followers will be able to find me here." She added slowly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione, I'm not leaving you in this bloody field." Draco stood, stopping halfway up as he realized he had referred to Granger by her first name. He shrugged it off; perhaps she didn't notice. He rose to his full height and grimaced at the fresh wave of pain shooting through his torso.

Springing to her feet at the sight of his agony, Hermione rushed to his side. "Want me to fix it again?" She asked, unsure of his answer. She felt nervous.

_Oh good; she didn't notice_, Draco thought. "Uh, sure, I guess." He lifted his sweater again as he had done in the dungeon, allowing Hermione to place her fingers against his silky smooth skin. Goosebumps instantly attacked Hermione's skin. Her gaze drifted up towards Draco's face, and she noted that he was staring at her. Their eyes locked for only seconds before each looked in their own direction, color and heat rising to Hermione's cheeks.

_Crack!_

The sudden noise in the empty field made Hermione and Draco jump. The place where the sound had originated from was now filled with Harry and Ron. Hermione immediately pulled her hands off of Draco and put several feet of space between herself and her friends' enemy.

"I was, uh, just healing his broken ribs," she stated in response to Harry and Ron's questioning looks. "What the hell are you doing back here anyways?" She asked, forcing a change in conversation topic.

It was almost impossible for Ron to wipe the look of sheer anger from his face. She was touching _him_. Hermione Granger was touching Draco Malfoy. Until Ron finally admitted to Hermione how much he loved her and he was able to touch her like that, he would never get that image out of his head. Ron glowered in Draco's direction, a bright shade of red slowly filling in around his ears and hairline. Draco caught a Ron's snarling stare and laughed a little on the inside before turning to look at Potter.

Harry noticed Ron's angry red face and stepped forward to speak before Ron acted on his emotions. "We were walking back to headquarters from where we apperated in and decided to come back."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Worried I might do something to your woman, Potter?" he asked. Irritating the great Boy Who Lived was his favorite thing.

Instead of instantly shooting back at Malfoy, Harry clenched his jaw and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "No." he said calmly. "I can't believe I'm going to say this."

Hermione crinkled her eyebrows together. Boy, was she confused.

It took all of Harry's sanity to say what he had to say, but he knew that it would help get his friend to safety. "But I think you . . . you were . . . you were right, Malfoy."

Hermione's eyes opened wide in utter shock, and Draco pretended to clear out his ear, as if he hadn't heard Harry right. "Come again?" Draco said, leaning closer towards Harry.

"Snape will be at headquarters, more often than not. And he would most likely tell Voldemort where Hermione is. I can't risk that level of danger for you, Hermione, so that's why we came back." Harry's eyes were suddenly full of understanding. Hermione knew that he truly cared about her safety, and for him to even consider letting her not be in his protection was huge.

Ron's expression had not changed. Although he had agreed with Harry before, against all of his better judgment and knowledge of Malfoy, he knew Hermione would be safer this way. But seeing them standing so closely together made him change his mind. Somehow, though, he was having trouble opening his lips to protest.

With a smug look of satisfaction plastered all over his beautiful face, Draco stood with his arms crossed gently over his bruised ribs. This was a grand moment in history, and he felt the need to savor every second of it.

"Harry . . . wow." Hermione rushed forwards to hug him. "I wasn't trying to . . . you know that . . . I'm sorry."

Harry hugged her back. "No, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry that I let you get taken away in the first place." He pushed her back and looked into her eyes. "Now, we just need to figure out where you can hide until it's safe."

Although Ron had calmed down somewhat, and the color in his face had returned to normal, he was still having a hard time knowing that Hermione wouldn't be at headquarters with him. And it was about to get worse than just that.

"My house."

The trio all slowly turned their heads in Draco's direction. Harry instinctively put a hand on Ron's forearm to keep him from lunging at the silver haired crazy standing before them.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, all the sincerity in his voice that he could muster. He wanted Hermione safe, but that just sounded ridiculous.

"I said, my house, Potter. Malfoy Manor is one of the safest structures in the wizarding world, besides Hogwarts of course." Despite the new side of Draco that Hermione had recently been exposed to, he still produced the statement with as much ego as ever.

"You're not serious?" Hermione asked, stepping towards Draco. It sounded absolutely ridiculous, but it somehow made perfect sense. Hermione's head was instantly filled with visions of her and Draco alone together.

"How do you expect me to believe that Malfoy Manor is safer than Order of the Phoenix headquarters?" Harry stated rather forcefully.

"And what about your father? Or your mother?" Hermione questioned. There were a hundred other questions floating through her mind at that point, none of which had to do with her safety.

Draco grinned sarcastically. "I'm not an idiot, Potter. There are more hideouts and secret passages in that house than Hogwarts. Half of which my father doesn't know exist."

Harry relaxed slightly. It still didn't seem like the best idea, so he wanted some more details. "What about your mother?"

Draco shifted his weight nervously. Although Draco knew his mother was always on his side, and one hundred percent against her husband, he also knew that Lucius had beaten her into submission now and again. He worried he would be risking his mother's well-being by hiding Hermione (and himself) in the house, but as along as his father had no idea that Narcissa knew anything about it, he would most likely leave her alone. It was a chance Draco was willing to take.

"You don't have to worry about her," he said shortly.

Harry and Hermione didn't really know anything about Draco's mother, Narcissa, but something about how he spoke made them trust him. But Ron wasn't convinced.

"Oh, come off it, Malfoy! How do we know that you won't just send her back to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named once Harry and I leave?" Ron practically shouted. He was furious! There was no way that Harry would allow this to happen.

Harry faced his angry redheaded friend, looking slightly angry himself. "Do you remember the part where Malfoy escaped with us, Ron?"

Ron couldn't believe his ears. Harry? Defending Malfoy? It wasn't possible. Not the Harry he knew. Draco and Hermione were both in doubt about Harry's latest statement as well.

"This is the most ridiculous conversation I've ever heard! What the bloody hell is going on, Harry? Why are you suddenly so comfortable with Hermione going off with fucking Malfoy?" Ron was so mad he felt the heat rising to his face once again.

Harry had a weird feeling in his stomach ever since Malfoy grabbed Hermione's hand as they left the underground holding cell. For some reason, something was telling him that Malfoy was not in there as a babysitter, and that he had truly run for his life as Hermione did. Harry was sticking to his gut feeling on this one.

"Ron, we can discuss this later. The longer we stand here the longer these two - - I mean Hermione - - the longer she is out in the open." Draco caught Harry's slip up, but didn't show it on his face. It was all something out of a fairytale.

Hermione was still utterly confused as to why Harry had such a change of heart in the five minutes they had been gone, but she wasn't about to question it. Going with Draco was, somehow, what she wanted, and she didn't want to jeopardize that. "Just drop it, Ron. It seems like the best choice right now. If things change, I'll owl you, okay? You're just going to have to trust me." She placed an understanding hand on his arm, and it instantly changed Ron's attitude.

He knew it was silly to act so childish over something as simple as Hermione touching him, but it was the only contact he had with her so he treasured it. "Alright. Fine." He gave up fighting, but he wasn't about to act happy about it. Hermione smiled sweetly at her friend, unknowing that it was her smile he first fell in love with.

Taking in the inclosing dark around him, Harry figured it was time to get going. "Well, I guess we should go. Come on, Ron. Be sure to owl us, Hermione." He gave her hand a squeeze and grabbed a hold of Ron's sleeve.

"You keep your hands off her, Malfoy." Ron threatened.

"What the hell would I want to do with a mudblood, Weasel?" Draco retorted.

Before Ron could leap at Malfoy, Harry apperated them both away. Hermione stared at the space they once stood in, afraid to look back at Draco. Here she was, thinking they had made so much progress, and in an instant he had returned to calling her a mudblood.

The guilt that Draco felt for what he had just said began to eat at his insides. He instantly regretted it. But just because he and Granger were on somewhat decent terms didn't mean that he let his whole reputation slide. He let the silence sink in for a few more seconds before he spoke.

"You know, I didn't mean that." He wasn't sure if she would buy it, but it was worth a shot.

Hermione didn't know what to think. Maybe it wasn't too late too catch up with Harry and Ron.

"Granger . . . I swear, I didn't mean it." He sounded so sincere that Hermione turned around. She wanted to believe him for another inexplicable reason. "It's, well you know. That whole reputation thing." Draco stated.

Sadly, she understood. Draco was opening up to her, and she wanted it to be only her. Hermione figured the best thing was to just shrug it off. She had been called a mudblood so many times before that it really wasn't worth crying over anymore. "Uh, yeah. Of course. I understand." She avoided his eyes; it was just an awkward situation altogether. Even though Draco didn't technically apologize, it was the closest Hermione had ever heard from his mouth.

"Well, um, shall we?" He offered his arm for her to hold to during the journey. Hermione immediately forgot the past three minutes and was back to being weak in the knees. She was falling, and she was falling hard. Hesitantly, she wrapped an arm around his and closed her eyes.

Draco chuckled lightly. "Scared, Granger?"

"No." She stated, without opening her eyes. "I just get, um, dizzy. Yeah, dizzy." Without another word, they began spinning into infinite space. Hermione had always wondered what Draco's house looked like. As the thick fog rolled in around her feet, Hermione realized that she had seriously underestimated the potential creepiness of Draco's house.

**Talk about the worst writer's block ever. I promise the next chapter won't take as long. xoxo**


	9. Malfoy Manor

Chapter 9 –

Malfoy Manor

As the fog rolled in around their feet, Hermione gazed ahead at an old iron gate at the end of a long stretch of a gravel pathway. The words "Malfoy Manor" were crafted in an ancient font over the top of the gate. Raising an eyebrow in Draco's direction, Hermione almost wanted to laugh

"_This_ is your house?" She stifled a chuckle.

"Don't tell me you were expecting a picket fence and daisies…?" Draco said, moving forwards down the path.

Hermione actually laughed, shocked for allowing Draco Malfoy to amuse her. She still could not believe that she was in this situation, at this house, with this boy. Normally, she would have considered this a nightmare, but tonight, it was a dream come true.

Pulling her arms tight around her body, Hermione followed Draco towards the front door. The property, as well as the house itself, was every bit as creepy as Hermione had imagined. She wasn't exactly sure if it was an ironic creepiness, or just plain funny. Dark, knotted trees twisted in all directions on both sides of the path and continued in a spider web-like pattern all around the house, preventing any view of the inside through the windows.

"How do we know if your father isn't already here? What if he's inside right now, watching us walk up?" Hermione froze in her tracks, unaware that she had involuntarily grabbed a hold of Draco's sleeve.

"We don't know that," he stated simply. Draco looked down at his arm with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione followed his eyes and immediately let go, wrapping her arms back around her torso. In the past, she would have cringed at the idea of ever touching Malfoy. But now she felt her fingers burn at the slightest contact, yearning for more, regardless if she actually touched his creamy, white skin.

"Relax, Granger. Malfoy Manor has more spells and enchantments protecting it than Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic combined. No one apparates inside of those gates, regardless of who they are." Draco stated matter-of-factly. "It allows us to know who is coming."

Turning it over in her mind for a minute as they continued the walk down the gravel path, Hermione thought of something. "Is your father afraid of the Dark Lord?" she asked slowly.

Draco's expression turned dark and his pace slowed, "He's just being…cautious." Draco certainly did not want to defend his father's actions when it came to the Dark Lord, or anything for that matter. He just couldn't ever let go of that one small part of his heart had hoped for so many years that his father actually somewhat cared about Draco and Narcissa's wellbeing. However small that part may be, Draco wanted so much to believe it existed.

Hermione thought about what Malfoy Manor would look like from the inside. It seemed huge from the outside, and yet she wondered if there were any enchantments that made it even bigger inside. The Malfoys seemed like greedy people, so she didn't put it past them to go all out when it came to the luxuries of home. Hermione pulled her arms even tighter around herself; it was strange how cold it was here, despite it being summer. The house was bleak and uninviting, but all Hermione could think about was getting inside to the warmth.

Once they had stepped on to the darkened wood of the porch steps, Hermione could feel the heat just beyond the front door. "Ugh, why is it so cold here!" She complained, rubbing her hands together and peering over at Draco.

He simply shrugged his shoulders and closed the gap between himself and the front door in two strides. Draco placed his hand on the oversized chrome doorknob and began to mutter under his breath.

"There's more to getting into this house than I imagined," Hermione said.

Draco glanced over his shoulder, "You've thought about my house?" he smirked.

Hermione blushed a deep crimson, but she welcomed the heat rising to her cheeks. "No, that's not what I meant. I was just – "

"Sure, Granger." He smirked again and pushed the heavy oak door open, letting the light and heat flood onto the porch. Draco stepped through the entryway, expecting Hermione to follow him. When he looked to his right, however, he saw that she wasn't standing next to him, or behind him for that matter.

"Coming?" He asked, gesturing for her to come inside.

_This is my last chance_, Hermione thought. _If I don't turn back now, who knows how long it will be before Ron and Harry forgive me. They wanted me to go with Malfoy, though. I can't be responsible for how I act when I'm left alone with this tall, chiseled, blonde, gorgeous-_she stopped.

"I could just leave you out here, you know. As long as my ass is saved, I don't care what happens to you now." Draco spoke in a low voice. It was unlike him to speak so quietly that Hermione sensed the lie in his words almost immediately. She raised an eyebrow sarcastically and stepped over the threshold.

The heat enveloped her immediately, and she felt her muscles relaxing as they warmed. Draco closed the door behind her, sealing them inside their new hiding place. At that moment, it hit Hermione that they were still running for their lives, and that this was where they would be until who knows when. Her insides tingled.

The front hallway dimly lit, but as Hermione's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, she found it elegantly decorated. An ancient oak table stood against the adjacent wall, above it an enormous painting of some stern looking wizards and witches; Malfoy's ancestors no doubt. The floor was a deep shade of gray granite, which complimented the hunter green rugs. From the front foyer, there were three doorways to choose from, although none of them actually contained doors, but rather heavy green drapes that were pulled open with a silver rope. Two of the entryways were dark; the third was just a dimly lit as the foyer itself, a few flaming torches hanging from their places in the wall. From the lack of hominess that she instantly felt, Hermione got the feeling that they Malfoys' never had much company.

Draco started forward towards one of the unlit doorways, pausing briefly to grab an unlit torch from the wall. Pulling out his wand, Draco set the torch on fire and stood halfway into the darkened room. Hermione hesitated, entirely unsure if she had made the right decision. She couldn't follow him into the dark like that; the feeling didn't sit well in her stomach. She could hear Harry and Ron's voices in her head, and she didn't much like that either.

"Well…?" Draco said, gesturing into the dark.

Pushing the boys' voices out of her thoughts, Hermione twisted her hands together in front of her, clearly uncomfortable. Again, she put her thoughts aside and put on a brave face, deciding that she needed straightforward answers from him.

"Malfoy," she began, hoping her tone sounded serious to him, and not as shaky as it really did. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Draco wrinkled his brow only for a second before answering. "Have I given you any reason not to?"

Hermione looked at him like he was stupid. Draco retracted, "Okay, within the last twenty-four hours, have I given you a reason not to trust me?"

"Well, not exactly. But that doesn't change the past. People don't change their entire personalities in the matter of a few hours, Malfoy."

"Point taken. If you'd rather turn around and leave, be my guest." Draco took a few steps into the dark, waiting for Hermione to stop him.

"Wait."

He smiled to himself before turning around to face her. He knew she wouldn't leave. One, because she was afraid for her life, but two, because he knew she was too goodhearted to not accept help when she desperately needed it, regardless of who the help was from. Hermione took a few steps until she was next to Malfoy. She glanced up into his unusually sincere stare, "I trust you."

Draco smirked slightly and pushed the heavy drapes open farther, leading Hermione into the unknown. She kept close to him, but not too close. The dark scared her, but not enough to cling to this near stranger.

The torch was absolutely necessary; without it, they would have no doubt run into walls, statues, and doors. Even Draco seemed a bit lost, if only for a split second. Hermione gazed in pure wonder at the beautifully decorated medieval corridors, wondering the significance of each painting. Perhaps they represented some sort of ancestor, or perhaps the massive art collection was collateral for a dark deed.

Everything Hermione had ever heard was that the Malfoys were a proud family, dating back as far as written records go. There were even rumors that they were indirectly related to Lord Voldemort, but most put that off as nothing more than a rumor.

After several blind turns, and few stumbles over thick, oriental rugs, the pair found themselves in a grand dining room, well lit and eerily empty.

"Finding this room is always tricky," Draco said, extinguishing his torch and laying it on the vast oak dining table.

Hermione wrinkled her brow. How could finding a room be tricky? Was Malfoy Mansion really that enormous?

Seeing her confused look, Draco motioned for her to put her ear against the door they had just walked through. Hermione obeyed, even more confused by what was going on. After a few seconds of silence, the sound of stone sliding on stone could be heard faintly through the heavy door. With a rush of thoughts to her brain, Hermione realized that the walls were rearranging themselves.

Draco smiled slightly. "Defense. My father believes in only the best. Helps him sleep at night."

"Your house has more spells and enchantments than the Ministry of Magic."

"Something my father would boast at," Draco agreed. "Come on. We should get hidden as quickly as possible."

The hair on Hermione's forearms stood straight up with his words, reminding her that she was running for her life at this very moment.

"How do we know where to go now?"

"Once you find the dining room, nothing else changes." He moved towards the far end of the room, pushing open a smaller door that Hermione didn't even notice upon entering the room.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, feeling slightly more frightened the deeper she walked into Malfoy Manor.

"My room."

Her heart did a somersault. Or her stomach. She wasn't entirely sure.

"Will we be safe there?" Hermione asked, picking up her pace to keep up with Draco's long strides.

He shrugged. "Safe enough."

"Well. That's comforting."

They continued in silence, both wrapped up in their own terrified thoughts. Hermione even wondered if she would ever see daylight again, or if this place, this horribly creepy, unfriendly place, would eventually be her tomb.

Malfoy's room was heaps more comforting than Hermione had originally imagined, despite the ominous Slytherin colors. The same heavy green drapes that hung over the doorways in the entry way graced the floor to ceiling windows, blocking out every scrap of exterior light. There was an elegant fireplace opposite an oversized couch and lounge chairs with even more elaborate designs than the medieval rugs at their feet. Malfoy's bed loomed in the corner, standing nearly ten feet tall with the same green drapes hanging from all four posts. To the left was a bathroom the size of the entire girls' dormitory in Gryffindor tower, and to the right were rows of bookshelves.

Hermione stared in wonder at the glorious bedroom before her. She was immediately envious.

Draco closed the door silently behind them, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking back and forth awkwardly next to Hermione. The pair stood in silence for nearly a minute before they both attempted to speak at the same moment.

Hermione smiled weakly and motioned for Draco to continue.

"Well, I'm just gunna…" he trailed off, motioning both thumbs in the direction of the bathroom. Hermione nodded, understanding. Draco rolled his head to the side and stalked off through the bathroom door.

Alone in the massive room, Hermione was suddenly overwhelmed with the situation. The awkwardness of being in Malfoy's room hit her hard, making her unsure of what to do. Standing here made her feel like an idiot, but she didn't quite feel welcome enough to sit down. And staying put seemed like a brainless activity that would not satisfy her growing curiosity.

She let her eyes wander the room, grazing over oil paintings, draped walls, more bookshelves, finally coming to rest on the oversized king bed before her.

Given the incredibly late hour the bed looked warm and inviting, but that's not why Hermione couldn't tear her eyes away from it. It was mysterious, captivating, as if some sort of life form was pulling her towards it. That all sounded so strange—a bed being mysterious. But it was true.

She stepped towards the bed, her outstretched hand yearning to feel the velvety comforter. It was softer than she could have ever imagined. She closed her eyes, letting her fingers roam the length of the bed. Behind her eyes, she saw flashes of creamy white flesh, sticky from perspiration, arms, entwined legs, a silvery blonde head, two bodies becoming one….

Hermione opened her eyes. It was if she had just seen a clip of the future, but she laughed to herself at the absurdity of that statement. She closed her eyes again, letting her thoughts wrap themselves around the soft velvet bed.

"Am I interrupting?"

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Malfoy's voice. She retracted her hand instantly and stepped back from the bed.

"You're not the first girl to be fascinated by that bed," he said. Draco stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall with a smug look on his face.

Hermione looked at him in disgust. "You're a pig."

"You shouldn't speak so harshly to the man who just saved your life, Granger."

"I don't remember any man being there. Oh, wait, you mean you?" she said.

Malfoy smirked again, pushing himself off of the wall to stand only a few feet from Hermione. "That's a bit below the belt, Granger."

"You're right. I wouldn't want to hurt your pride anymore than it already is," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Let's just play nice, alright? We've got to deal with each other for who knows how long, and I don't need constant insults to my manhood from the likes of you," Malfoy said.

"It was your idea for us to come here."

"You agreed to it."

"Maybe that was the wrong decision," Hermione said, her annoyance in Malfoy rising with each word. Suddenly it seemed like she had made a huge mistake in accepting his offer of protection.

"No one is holding you here, Granger. The door isn't locked, so be my guest," Malfoy gestured mockingly towards his closed bedroom door. He wasn't the least bit angry; in fact, he was rather enjoying taunting her.

Hermione bit her lip. Her thoughts were tearing themselves apart as she tried again to convince herself that coming to Malfoy Manor was the right thing to do. "I'm not leaving."

Draco smirked. "Well then we're back to where we started. I saved you, so, technically, you owe me."

"I saved you first," she answered, quietly.

Malfoy looked as if he had been slapped in the face. Anger swelled in his chest. Malfoys don't _need_ saving; he wasn't going to have that. "Who _helped_ who is neither here nor there," he started, quickly changing the direction the conversation was going. "Face it, Granger. I brought you here, I'm helping you out now, and I don't want to deal with your non stop shit all of the time."

"Blackmailing me to be nice to you? That seems a bit low, even for you."

"If it weren't for me, you'd still be in the fucking field, Granger. In the dark. Alone," he retorted.

"Fine."

"Shake on it?"

As Malfoy thrust his hand into the open space between them, Hermione was overcome by a sense of excitement. It started off as nothing more than a quiver in her stomach, but it turned into a full-on dizzy spell as the idea of an encounter with Malfoy's creamy white skin presented itself.

Keeping as much composure as she could muster, she slowly placed her hand in his. It was a firm shake, quick and in a business-like manner, and yet the pair found themselves hesitant to part so quickly. Hermione's face reddened as she realized she wasn't the only one still holding on. Malfoy smirked.

"Thinking about our kiss, eh Granger?" He was pleased with himself; he could also hold this bit of information over her head.

Instantly disgusted, Hermione pulled away, quickly folding her arms and stepping away from him.

"You're a pig," she repeated.

"Ha!" he laughed heartily, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Oh, grow up, Malfoy," she half-spat his name. She couldn't bring herself to be fully upset because she was, in fact, thinking about their kiss.

"Don't worry, Granger. I thought it was pretty damn good, too." He was still laughing—no—mocking the situation. This displeased her.

"Don't flatter yourself. You're so bloody egotistical, Malfoy," Hermione huffed.

Malfoy grinned at this. "Just admit it."

"Admit what?" she felt her cheeks slowly blushing again. She didn't like these sorts of games.

"You'd like to try it again."

It was Hermione's turn to laugh. Kiss Malfoy? Again? _However amazing that first kiss was, _she thought_, it will NEVER happen again. Ever._

Malfoy's smirk was gone now. The mood had completely flipped in a matter of seconds. He was being serious.

This scared her.

And yet her head was filled with images of them locked in an embrace, a power stronger than anything she'd ever experienced circling them, keeping them together. She shook her head furiously. This was impossible!

Focusing purely on rational thoughts, she figured that he was just trying to get some. There was no way that Draco Malfoy actually wanted to kiss _her_.

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. You tricked me. I cannot be responsible for my actions when I'm being lied to," she said. Turning her back on him, she began pacing down the length of the bookshelves, stopping to read a cover now and again.

When Malfoy spoke again, it was as if the past conversation had never happened. "I'm knackered. Bed or couch?"

_Guess that solves that dilemma,_ she thought. Hermione stopped pacing. "We can sleep here?"

He shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"What if. . .what if your father comes. Or. . .or worse?" Hermione suddenly felt the need to hide.

"Granger. My father is one of the most dangerous men out there. Even for my mother and myself. We'll know if he's coming," he explained, removing his shoes in the process.

Now it was awkward. The tiniest bit of excitement crept back into her stomach as she thought about sleeping in Malfoy's room. Why this boy was suddenly so captivating, she could not explain. But for some reason, she didn't care either.

"Bed or couch?" he asked again.

"W-what?" she was confused. What about the bed and the couch?

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "For sleeping, Granger."

The images from before resurfaced. She smiled inwardly. Something told her to take the bed. But why? Nothing made sense anymore. As she built up the courage to say "bed" she found herself saying "couch" out loud. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"You sure? I may have a reputation, but I'm still a gentleman," Malfoy said, removing his sweater. He winced as he pulled at it, his broken ribs still throbbing.

Hermione took two hurried steps forward, stopped, hesitated, and found herself confused on what she was about to do.

"Any chance you could, uh, fix these? Again?" Malfoy asked, gingerly taking his sweater off the rest of the way.

Hermione nodded, and found herself standing next to Malfoy breathing in his masculine scent within seconds. Lifting up his undershirt with nervous hands, Hermione placed them gently onto Draco's broken ribs. His skin was warmer than it had been the last time, and somehow smoother. She muttered the enchantments quickly, and then stepped away, putting as much distance as she could between them. Her attraction to him was a becoming more and more ridiculous by the minute; she couldn't understand why the need to be near Malfoy, to touch him, to kiss him, was beginning to take control of her. All their lives they had been mortal enemies. Even during their conversations they still bickered.

But the physical attraction was mind-boggling, the force drawing her to him was inexplicable, and she had to find a way to break it.

Or did she.

"Are you listening?" Malfoy's voice pulled her from her daydream.

"Um, sorry. What?"

"I said that you could have my bed if you wanted to, but if you want the couch there's some blankets on the floor beside it," Malfoy said, pulling off his undershirt this time.

_What is this, strip conversation hour?_ Hermione thought, although she wasn't all that upset by it.

"Yea, the, uh, the couch is fine. I'll take the couch," she said, trying to pull her eyes from the toned, lean body in front of her.

Malfoy smirked, aware of her roaming eyes. "Try not to drool on the carpet, eh Granger?" he said, sitting onto the bed.

Hermione scowled, unhappy that he was so pleased with her obvious belligerence. She grabbed some blankets and quickly made a bed for herself, pulling off her shoes and jacket in the process. She heard Malfoy settling in, he muttered a quick spell to darken the lights, and she was engulfed in total darkness.

She didn't realize just how tired she was until she lay down. The couch was surprisingly comfortable, but all she could visualize was joining Malfoy in the giant bed and snuggling up to his muscular chest.

These thoughts were beginning to overwhelm her, but she didn't care. She let them carry her away into a dreamless sleep, one that wouldn't last long.


	10. Safe

Chapter 10 –

Safe

_Her scream echoed off the walls of the damp cellar. A shadowy figure moved around her, calculating his next movement. He flicked his wand; the girl screamed again. An evil cackle escaped his lips, enjoying the girl's pain. Continuous flicks of his wand resulted in more screams. Tears streamed down her dirty face, her eyes bloodshot and full of terror. _

_She was wearing little more than an oversized collared shirt, evidence of torture by means other than magic. The screaming stopped, replaced by small whimpers of pain. She lay in a ball on the cold, wet ground. The cloaked man moved closer towards her, bending down to whisper in her ear. _

"_You're mine now," he hissed. The girl cowered, afraid of his next move._

"_Why are you doing this?" she managed to spit out between choked sobs._

"_Why not?" he retorted._

"_This isn't you, Draco," she sobbed. _

Draco jolted awake. He shot into a sitting position, a cool sweat covering his face. It was only a dream. A nightmare.

Draco rubbed his face to wipe the sleep from his eyes and fell back against his pillows. The images of the dream invaded the backs of his eyelids, so he forced his eyes open, allowing them to adjust to the surrounding darkness. No matter how hard he tried, he could not erase the horrifying images from his thoughts.

He wouldn't let himself become that. He refused to become his father.

Draco threw the blankets off and groggily stood, shuffling into the bathroom. He doused his face with several splashes of cool water, waking himself up almost completely. He felt like he had been hit with a freight truck. Almost every inch of his body ached, reminders of the previous few days' activities. What made it hurt worse, though, was the knowledge that this was just the beginning. Draco's father would stop at nothing to find him now. It was only a matter of time.

Pulling a pair of loose fitting sweats over his boxer briefs, Draco left the light of the bathroom and ventured into the endless dark of his room. He could hear soft breathing coming from the direction of the sofa and fireplace. Freezing in his tracks he silently reached for his wand on his bedside table. For a brief moment he had forgotten he wasn't alone. He relaxed his suddenly tense body as he remembered that it was simply Granger, asleep on his couch. Setting his wand back down, he wandered over to the couch, opening one of the many curtains on the way. The moonlight flooded the room, casting a cool glow over everything in its path. Rain pounded the floor to ceiling windows giving the room an eerie sort of feeling.

Draco's was afraid. As much as he hated to admit it, but his reaction to Granger's breathing was a clear-cut sign.

The moonlight danced gracefully over Hermione's face as she slept. A few curls hung loosely around her face, not distracting from her beauty. Draco was entranced. He found himself settling down in the armchair next to her, without pulling his eyes from her sleeping figure.

_Damn, she's beautiful_, he thought. Quick as it came, though, he was pulled from his daydream by his rational thoughts. He shook his head in disgust. _Ugh, _he thought_. This is still Granger. I can't be attracted to _her_. It's not…natural._

And yet he could not pull his eyes (or his thoughts) away from her.

Rain pounded against the windows of 12 Grimmauld Place, as it had been doing for hours. Ron couldn't sleep. And as far as he knew, he wouldn't be able to sleep properly again until he had Hermione safe and sound by his side. Sure, they had all been in life-threatening situations before, but they had been together. Never had Hermione been alone without Harry and Ron there to protect her. It was driving Ron mental.

Ron had no idea how late, or how early, it really was. He and Harry didn't arrive back at 12 Grimmauld Place until just after midnight, after the rest of the household had turned in for the night. They sat on their cots in complete silence for nearly two hours, each wanting to discuss the situation but knowing that the eventual level of their voices would wake everyone. Harry had somehow managed to drift off to sleep at some point, leaving Ron even more alone with his thoughts.

The rain wasn't helping. It was depressing him even more. Silent as the dead, he slipped out of the room he shared with Harry, and made his way down into the kitchen. He found a tin of biscuits and made himself some tea. He was halfway through his fifth biscuit when he felt someone's presence.

"Hey," Harry said groggily, taking a seat at the table next to his friend.

Ron merely nodded. Harry reached for a biscuit despite the fact that he wasn't hungry. Eating was nothing more than a comfort.

"Can't sleep?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head, taking a gulp of his tea. The liquid warmed him from the inside out, but his heart still felt cold…lost…broken.

"Same," Harry agreed. He munched slowly on his biscuit, waiting for Ron to speak his mind.

"I can't believe she chose that asshole over her best mates," Ron half-whispered.

Harry nodded slowly in agreement.

"And I can't believe you let her, Harry."

There it was. "Hermione's a big girl, mate. She'll make it out of this one. I don't think she would've gone with Malfoy if she didn't honestly think it was the best idea."

Ron chuckled in disbelief. "I just want her here, safe with us, Harry. I can't stand not knowing where she is."

"But if _we_ don't know, then we can't be forced into the truth by whoever is looking for her," Harry retorted. "So in a way, she's safer this way."

Ron was silent, but he, reluctantly, agreed.

They continued to sit in silence, nothing but the rain as company. Ron wrestled with his thoughts again, debating, as he had for hours, on whether he should confess his feelings for Hermione. Harry would understand, wouldn't he? Ron could barely admit it to himself at times. Perhaps saying it out loud was just what he needed.

"I love her, mate," Ron said quietly, keeping his eyes on the biscuit in his hands. He was sure he'd have it now.

Harry sighed. "I know, Ron. I know. I love her too."

Harry wasn't getting it. Ron didn't love Hermione as a sister; she was so much more to him than that.

"No. I'm _in_ love with her," Ron said, this time looking up.

Harry wrinkled his brow in confusion, blinked a few times, and stared into his hands. Ron wasn't mad at Harry. He was in love with Hermione, and she didn't choose him. Again. First Seamus, now Malfoy. But she didn't love Malfoy. She despised, no loathed, Malfoy.

"How long?" he asked.

"Three years," Ron answered, suddenly feeling ashamed.

Harry nodded again. "And you've never told her?"

"She's with Seamus."

"They've only been together for a little over a year, Ron. You had two years before that," Harry pointed out.

"Thanks for the support, Harry. I thought you'd understand," Ron said, standing up in frustration.

"Ron, wait. That's not what I meant," Harry said, standing and grabbing his friend's elbow.

"Then what did you mean, Harry?" Ron said, his face reddening slightly.

"I was just sorting out the details, trying to figure out why you're so upset," Harry paused, releasing Ron's arm.

"I'm fucking in love with our best friend, Harry!" Ron practically shouted. "How would you feel?"

Harry was speechless. He didn't know how he would feel, but suddenly everything made sense. Everything Harry had ever silently questioned came together in one simple answer. Every look, every longing glance, every jealous remark, every chance to protect her… how had Harry not realized it before?

"What about Lavender?"

Ron sighed, running his hand through his red mane. "I thought, well I hoped, she would be sort of a, well a distraction. From Hermione."

"Ah." Harry nodded once, understanding Ron's motives with Lavender. It's not that Ron was using her…well, technically, he was, but it wasn't as if he didn't have feelings for her as well. "We've got to get her back."

Throwing up his hands in defeat, Ron avoided Harry's gaze. "How, Harry? We haven't got the faintest idea of where she could be."

"We'll think of something, Ron. We always do."

"Better think fast," was all Ron could manage to say.

"I'm sorry, mate." Harry said, catching Ron's eyes.

"Not your fault. I'm going to bed." Ron stalked through the kitchen door, leaving Harry alone.

Harry sat back down, putting his head on the table in frustration. As if the situation wasn't ridiculous enough already, now they were stuck up in a love triangle. He couldn't let this continue. In the morning he decided that he was going to figure out a way to keep Hermione safe under a different roof, so that at least Ron's heart didn't ache anymore than it already had to.

Even though Draco felt himself falling back to sleep, he couldn't bring himself to walk all the way over to his bed. The armchair was plenty comfortable, and he was tired enough to sleep there for hours. Closing his eyes, Draco gave in to the inevitable sleep.

No more than a few minutes later, Hermione stirred ever so slightly, breathing in heavily. Why her mind woke up her aching body, she couldn't decipher. This was the first night of real sleep she'd had in three days. The cold floor of her prison chamber didn't offer very comfortable sleep.

She rolled over to readjust, hoping to fall asleep again as soon as she was comfortable. But she just happened to notice the now sleeping Draco in the armchair across from her. A million thoughts raced through her head. Why in the hell was he sleeping there? He had a massive, no doubt comfortable bed behind her. Should she be worried? And did he open that curtain? How long had he been there?

But most startling, he still had his shirt off. Hermione was practically drooling. She couldn't help herself. She wasn't the type of girl to gawk and stare at a guy's physical structure, but with Malfoy…how could she not? Attempting to erase her mind of the unwanted thoughts about Malfoy, Hermione closed her eyes and waited for sleep again. She had no idea what time it was, but it was still dark, so she figured she had a few more hours of sleep ahead of her.

Within five minutes of having closed her eyes again, a sharp knocking came from the bedroom door. Hermione immediately sat up, fear flooding her every sense. She didn't know if she should run, hide, scream, or cry. She turned to look at Malfoy, to see if the knocking had woken him up.

Draco's eyes flew open, his heart instantly racing. Hermione pushed the blanket off of her legs and looked to him for an answer.

The knocking persisted, but no voices.

Moving faster than light, Draco leaped from his chair, taking a firm grasp on Hermione's wrist. He pulled her to her feet, and began running for safety, half dragging her behind him. They ran to the side of Draco's bed opposite the door, while the knocking drummed in their ears at half the pace of their thundering heartbeats.

Draco stopped in front of one of the wall panels, pushing firmly on one side of it with two fingers. Out of nowhere, the panel swung open like a door, revealing a small hiding space barely big enough for one person. Hermione was so afraid she couldn't comprehend what was happening. Draco pushed her past him into the tiny space, and then pushed her farther in as he stepped in as well, allowing for the wood panel to close once again.

More knocking.

They were concealed in complete and total darkness. Draco put a hand over Hermione's mouth in a signal for her to remain silent. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized they were pressed firmly up against each other, face to face. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins, taking control of her mind and body. Draco's scent overwhelmed her, and it was all she could do to keep her knees from buckling.

But as the knocking rang through the room once again, her fear resurfaced.

"Draco?" The voice was female.

Hermione felt Draco exhale, as if he hadn't been breathing the entire time; a sigh of relief, perhaps. He remained frozen in place, his hands on either side of Hermione's head.

"Draco?" the voice asked again, slightly louder this time.

Neither of them moved. The box was becoming claustrophobic, yet Hermione found herself strangely aroused. She couldn't have been any closer to Malfoy if she wanted to.

"There's an owl in the pantry eating all of your favorite biscuits," she said calmly.

Hermione stifled a chuckle. That certainly wasn't the Dark Lord or Lucius Malfoy coming to get her. She felt Draco's body relax as he exhaled again.

"_Alohomora,_" he whispered. Fresh air flooded Hermione's nostrils as the wooden panel door swung open.

Hermione found herself searching for Draco's eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The heat from his body radiated into hers, her knees became weak, and all she wanted to do was stand on her tiptoes and kiss his full, pink lips.

Draco placed a finger over his lips, making sure she understood to remain quiet. He pushed himself away from her and started walking towards the door. She instantly longed for the warmth of his body on hers again. Hermione was still clueless as to who was at the door, and why they were talking about biscuits at this hour.

She heard the bedroom door open.

"Hey, mum," Draco said quietly, groggily.

Hermione exhaled, but remained where she was. The paneled door was still open, but she couldn't see Draco or his Mum. She grasped her torso, holding in what little body heat the two had shared just seconds before.

Narcissa Malfoy closed the door behind her and rushed forward, placing her hands on Draco's face. "Oh, Draco." She pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Mum, what's into you?"

Narcissa stepped back. "I just finished speaking with your father."

Draco stiffened. He loved his mother, but Lucius had been known to influence her against Draco in the past.

"He's furious about something, he wouldn't tell me what, but I had a feeling it had something to do with you," she said, searching his face for answers. Draco avoided her eyes.

"He doesn't know we're—I'm here, does he?"

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. _Did she catch that?_ she thought frantically.

Draco froze, hoping his mother didn't catch his slip-up. He wasn't entirely sure if he should tell her about Hermione hiding in his cupboard just yet. The idea of his having to hide was scary enough for his mother, therefore introducing his former enemy as his new "partner in crime" seemed like a few more steps backwards than necessary.

"No, no. I didn't even know you were here. I just came to reassure myself that you weren't mixed up in whatever it Lucius is angry about," she paused. "You aren't, are you?"

"Mum, I've got—"

Narcissa cut him off. "Why is your panel door open?" she asked, starting to walk towards it.

Hermione stiffened. She had never met Narcissa before so she had no idea if she could trust her. But Draco wouldn't have left the secret space unless he knew she could be trusted, and that was good enough for Hermione.

Draco grabbed her arm. "Mum. Hold on a second."

"Who were you hiding from? Not your father?" her voice sounded oddly calm, as if they'd had this conversation before.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time," Draco said.

"What's happened this time?" Narcissa asked, still calm as ever.

"I was meant to help out the Dark Lord with a task, and it didn't…go…as well as I'd hoped," Draco stammered, but his voice was stern.

Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose. "So he's punished you, and you've escaped, and now you're planning to hide out here?"

Draco nodded.

"I wish you wouldn't have told me. Now he'll come after me, Draco, to find you," her eyes had the faintest glimmer of tears. But Narcissa was a brave woman. She'd die for her son if she had to.

Draco pulled his mother into a tight embrace. "I won't let him hurt you again, Mum."

Narcissa sniffed. She pulled back to look her son in the face. "Be safe, my son. Pop in to let me know if you're still around. Don't tell me which chamber you're in either. The less I know, the better."

They hugged tightly again for a brief moment, then Narcissa departed as quietly as she had come.

Draco stood still for a few minutes more, staring at the space his mother once occupied. Hermione leaned her head out of the doorway, looking at the defeated man before her. She could tell just by the look on his face that Draco, in this moment, hated his father more so than he ever had before.

Hermione decided she'd had enough of the tiny space, and took a step out. The sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caused Draco to snap out of his trance. He turned his gaze towards her, and for a brief moment neither of them moved or spoke.

"You didn't tell her about me," Hermione stated.

Draco's expression remained impassive. "Like she said, the less she knows, the better."

"So, I'm guessing there's no owl?"

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"The one in the pantry? Eating your biscuits?" Hermione smiled slightly, attempting to lighten the mood.

Draco returned the small smile, understanding washing over his features. "Oh, that. Just a, well a safety phrase my mother and I worked out when I was young. In case, you know, in case my father was with her or not."

Every passing moment in the Malfoy household increased Hermione's realizations about Draco's life. It was as if a whole new light had been shed on Draco's actions for the past seven years. He lived in constant fear of his father, regardless of what he did. This sort of cruelty was unheard of in Hermione's life. She wanted so much to embrace Draco, tell him everything was going to be okay, that he could leave with her and be safe from all of this. She could bring him to a sanctuary, a safe haven, where she knew she could protect him.

But none of that was possible. She didn't know it was going to be alright. She didn't know if he would be accepted at 12 Grimmauld Place. She couldn't embrace him, either, and that hit her the hardest. Although, Draco didn't seem like the type to accept comforting gestures easily.

Setting her personal vendetta aside, Hermione nodded once. "So, now what?"

He shrugged. "Sleep?"

"What!" Hermione shouted. Realizing her mistake, she threw a hand up over her mouth.

"Merlin, Granger. Do you want to be found?" Draco said.

"Sorry, sorry."

Draco made his way back towards the armchair and sat on the edge of the cushion, leaning back into a relaxed sit. Hermione followed suit, sitting on the couch and pulling her knees to her chest.

The silence was awkward, painful even. Hermione wanted so much to ask Draco more about his mother, about their conversation, about the entire situation. She had to say something. There were entirely too many questions that needed answers, and Malfoy was the one who could give her those answers. But something about the look on Malfoy's face made her hold her tongue.

"Sure you don't want the bed, Granger?" Draco asked out of the blue.

Hermione could barely keep her eyes open. "Mmm, no…" was all she could muster as an answer. She let sleep consume her completely, allowing herself to fall back into the comfortable cushions of the oversized sofa.

Draco sighed with exhaustion, the events of the day overwhelming him. He let his eyes wander towards Hermione, sleeping in an awkward sitting position. It looked incredibly uncomfortable and he found himself wishing she had accepted his offer of sleeping in his bed. Gathering what strength he had left, Draco stood and moved towards the sofa. Hermione looked so serene, as if none of the past four days had even happened. Draco liked that. Sleep made her seem peaceful, a state that she deserved to be in.

Why he was concerned with what state Granger's heart should be in, he wasn't entirely sure. But he was done fighting with those sorts of ideas. They were in this together now; there was no need to continuously push her out of his thoughts. After all, changing his ways of thinking about Hermione wasn't going to kill him. It was time for a change, a change that he felt was a long time coming.

Pushing away his last thoughts of hatred toward this girl, Draco bent and gingerly scooped Hermione up. The weight was nothing for Draco; his toned body was more than accustomed to lifting such a light load. Not even his broken ribs protested, thanks to Hermione's medicinal charms. The movements didn't wake her in the slightest as he carried her to his bed. Setting her down slowly, Draco found himself lingering over her, watching her settle into a more comfortable position. He pulled the thick down comforter over Hermione, covering up to her shoulders. Cocking his head slightly, he once again took note of how peaceful she looked, even how beautiful she was.

Smiling at the cliché moment, Draco slowly pushed a strand of hair off of her face, letting his fingers glide over her smooth cheek. His skin burned at the touch, aching for more. Her body was like a magnet, one strong enough to draw him in even while asleep.

"You're safe here," he whispered.

Rubbing his face, Draco headed towards the couch again, hoping to sleep as peacefully as she was. As he made himself comfortable, fear of images of his earlier dream resurfacing clouded his mind. But as he drifted off to sleep, what he saw was not horrifying. It was beautiful, peaceful even.

A simple kiss between two former enemies, finally breaking through years of hatred, fighting to stand for what they wanted.

Draco smiled. The future seemed like a place he wanted to be. And soon.

**Hope you enjoyed. Working on the next chapter as well! It's going to start getting more exciting, which will hopefully keep all of you readers happy. Cheers!**


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